Is It a Bladder Infection or a Kidney Infection? How Urinary Infections Are Told Apart

It is 6:40 on a Tuesday morning and you have been to the bathroom four times since midnight. Each visit stings, each one produces almost nothing, and now there is a dull ache under your ribs on the right side that was not there yesterday. You type a few words into your phone, and the results split neatly in two: some pages say bladder infection, some say kidney infection, and none of them tell you which one you have.

That gap is exactly where the confusion about bladder infection vs kidney infection lives. Both are urinary tract infections, both usually start with the same bacteria, and one can grow out of the other. Yet they differ in where they sit, how sick they make you, how quickly they need attention and how they are treated.

This explainer walks through how clinicians make the distinction, what the tests can and cannot show, and why a fever changes the whole conversation.

Bladder infection vs kidney infection: what actually happens inside the urinary tract

Think of the urinary tract as a plumbing system with two storage tanks at the top and one at the bottom. The kidneys filter blood and make urine. Two narrow tubes, the ureters, carry that urine down to the bladder, which holds it until you pass it out through the urethra. A urinary tract infection, or UTI, is simply bacteria growing somewhere along that route.

Most UTIs begin at the bottom. Bacteria that normally live in the bowel, most often Escherichia coli, reach the opening of the urethra and climb upward. According to Mayo Clinic, this is the usual route, and it helps explain why women get UTIs far more often than men: a shorter urethra means a shorter climb to the bladder. Once bacteria multiply in the bladder lining, the result is cystitis, which is the medical word for a bladder infection.

A kidney infection, or pyelonephritis, happens when bacteria keep climbing. They travel up one or both ureters and reach the kidney itself. The kidney is not a hollow storage tank like the bladder; it is dense, blood-rich tissue. Infection there triggers a whole-body inflammatory response, which is why fever, chills and feeling generally unwell are so characteristic. Less commonly, bacteria arrive at the kidney through the bloodstream rather than from below.

The distinction matters because the stakes differ. Cystitis is uncomfortable and usually stays local. Pyelonephritis can spill bacteria into the blood, and Mayo Clinic lists sepsis and kidney scarring among its potential complications. The same organism, in other words, can produce a nuisance or an emergency depending on how far it has traveled.

What are the warning signs of a bladder infection, and why do they stay local?

Cystitis announces itself in the bladder and rarely anywhere else. The lining becomes inflamed, so the organ misreads even a small volume of urine as a full tank. That produces the classic pattern described by the NHS: a burning or stinging sensation when passing urine, needing to go more often than usual, feeling an urgent need to go, and passing only small amounts each time. Urine may look cloudy, smell stronger than usual, or occasionally be tinged with blood. Many people describe a heavy, pressing ache low in the pelvis.

Notice what is missing from that list. A fever is not typical. Neither is pain high in the back, vomiting or shaking chills. The NHS is explicit that a high temperature or pain in the side or lower back suggests the infection may have moved beyond the bladder. In a straightforward bladder infection, you feel miserable below the waist but otherwise like yourself.

Why so local? The bladder wall has a mucus layer and a relatively poor blood supply compared with the kidney. Bacteria growing on its surface irritate the nerves that control urination but do not easily reach the bloodstream. The immune response stays contained, so the body’s thermostat is largely left alone.

One caution belongs here. These patterns guide how clinicians think; they are not a home diagnosis. Older adults, people with diabetes or a suppressed immune system, and anyone with a urinary catheter can have infections that look unusual or produce few local symptoms at all. When the picture is unclear, a urine test settles more than any list of sensations can.

What are the warning signs of a kidney infection?

A kidney infection tends to feel like an illness rather than an irritation. The NHS notes that symptoms usually develop quickly, often within a few hours or over a single day, and that they typically include pain in the side, lower back or around the genitals, a high temperature, shivering or chills, feeling weak or tired, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting. Some people also have the burning and frequency of a bladder infection at the same time, because the lower tract is often involved too.

The location of the pain is a useful clue. The kidneys sit high in the back, tucked under the lowest ribs on either side of the spine. Discomfort from an infected kidney is usually one-sided, deep and constant, and it is often tender when a clinician taps gently over that area during an examination. This is quite different from the low, central pelvic pressure of cystitis.

Fever is the other hallmark. Because the kidney is so richly supplied with blood, infection there releases inflammatory signals into the circulation quickly. Rigors, the violent shaking chills that make your teeth chatter, are a sign the body is mounting a systemic response and should never be dismissed as just feeling cold.

The NIDDK, part of the NIH, describes kidney infection as less common than bladder infection but more serious, precisely because of this reach into the wider body. Mayo Clinic adds that untreated pyelonephritis can permanently scar kidney tissue and, in pregnancy, raise the risk of complications for both parent and baby. The practical message is simple: urinary symptoms plus fever or flank pain deserve same-day medical contact, not a wait-and-see week.

Kidney infection symptoms vs UTI: a side-by-side comparison

Putting the two conditions next to each other shows how much they share and where they part ways. The table below summarizes features that clinicians weigh, drawn from NHS and Mayo Clinic descriptions. It is a reading aid, not a scoring sheet; overlapping presentations are common, and only testing and examination confirm the picture.

Feature	Bladder infection (cystitis)	Kidney infection (pyelonephritis)
Where bacteria are growing	Bladder lining	Kidney tissue, often with the bladder involved too
Typical pain location	Low central pelvis	One side of the back or flank, under the ribs
Fever and chills	Unusual	Common, sometimes with rigors
Nausea or vomiting	Unusual	Common
Burning, urgency, frequency	Very common	Often present, but may be absent
Speed of onset	Gradual to moderate	Often rapid, within hours to a day
General wellbeing	Uncomfortable but functioning	Unwell, weak, poor appetite
Usual place of care	Primary care or self-care for mild cases	Primary care for milder cases; hospital for severe illness, pregnancy or inability to keep fluids down
Main risk if untreated	Spread upward to the kidney	Bloodstream infection, kidney scarring

Two points in this table deserve emphasis. First, the absence of fever is reassuring but not a guarantee, especially in older adults, whose temperature response is often blunted. Second, the presence of flank pain without fever has other explanations, including a kidney stone, which is why clinicians do not lean on any single row. The table earns its keep by showing the direction of travel: the more rows that shift into the right-hand column, the more urgently the situation is treated.

Can a UTI turn into a kidney infection?

Yes, and this is the main reason a simple bladder infection is not ignored. The NHS describes most kidney infections as starting in the bladder or urethra and spreading upward. The ureters have a valve-like entry into the bladder that normally prevents urine flowing backward, but inflammation, high pressure from a very full bladder, or structural quirks can let bacteria travel the wrong way.

Certain situations tilt the odds. Anything that slows or blocks urine flow gives bacteria more time to multiply and climb. Mayo Clinic lists kidney stones, an enlarged prostate, and abnormalities in the shape of the urinary tract among these obstructions. Pregnancy is another well-recognized risk: hormonal changes relax the ureters and the growing uterus presses on them, so urine drains more sluggishly. A weakened immune system from diabetes or medication reduces the body’s ability to keep an infection contained. Urinary catheters provide a physical highway for bacteria. Vesicoureteral reflux, a condition in which urine flows backward from bladder to kidney, is a particular concern in young children.

How quickly can the shift happen? The NHS notes that kidney infection symptoms often appear within hours, so a person can go from mild cystitis to feverish illness within a day or two. That is why guidance consistently advises contacting a clinician if bladder symptoms are accompanied by fever, back pain or vomiting, or if they have not started to settle within a few days.

It is worth adding the reassuring half of the picture. Most bladder infections do not progress. The NIDDK notes that kidney infections are considerably less common than bladder infections. Treating cystitis promptly when treatment is indicated, and drinking normally rather than holding urine for long stretches, both lower the chance of upward spread.

How do doctors tell a bladder infection from a kidney infection?

The distinction is made in three layers: the story, the examination and the tests. Each adds confidence; none works alone.

The story comes first. A clinician asks where it hurts, whether there is fever, how fast symptoms arrived, whether you have had infections before, and whether you are pregnant, have diabetes, a catheter or a known urinary tract abnormality. This history often points strongly one way before any test result returns.

The examination follows. Temperature, heart rate and blood pressure show whether the body is under systemic strain. Gentle pressure over the lower abdomen checks for bladder tenderness, while tapping over the flanks assesses the kidneys. Marked tenderness over one kidney, in a feverish patient, is a classic finding in pyelonephritis.

Then the tests. A urine dipstick is a paper strip that changes color in the presence of white blood cells, blood and nitrites, chemicals produced by many urinary bacteria. It is quick and useful but cannot say where in the tract the infection sits. A urine culture, in which the sample is grown in a laboratory to identify the exact bacterium and which antibiotics it responds to, takes longer; Cleveland Clinic notes results typically arrive over a few days. Cultures are more often sent for suspected kidney infections, recurrent infections, men, pregnant patients and anyone whose first treatment has not worked.

Blood tests may be added when a kidney infection is suspected, to look for signs of infection spreading into the bloodstream and to check kidney function. Imaging, usually an ultrasound or CT scan, is reserved for people who are severely ill, not improving as expected, or in whom a stone or blockage is suspected. Mayo Clinic notes imaging can also identify abscesses or structural problems that change the treatment plan.

Who is treated straight away, and who is asked to wait and watch?

Not every urinary infection calls for immediate antibiotics, and not every one can safely wait. Clinicians sort people along a spectrum that runs from watchful self-care to same-day hospital assessment.

At the gentler end sit otherwise healthy, non-pregnant women with mild bladder symptoms and no fever. The NHS notes that mild cystitis often clears on its own within a few days, and some clinicians offer a delayed prescription: a course to start only if symptoms have not begun to ease. Fluids, rest and simple pain relief, chosen with a pharmacist or clinician, support the body while it clears the infection. This approach spares antibiotics when the immune system is likely to succeed unaided.

In the middle are people whose bladder infection is more troublesome or who carry higher risk: men, anyone with diabetes, people with recurrent infections, and those whose symptoms have lasted more than a few days. Here treatment is usually started promptly, often with a culture sent so it can be adjusted later.

Suspected kidney infection sits firmly at the treat-now end. Guidance from the NHS and Mayo Clinic is consistent that pyelonephritis needs prompt antibiotic treatment, usually started before culture results return, because delay raises the risk of bloodstream infection and kidney damage. Most people with an uncomplicated kidney infection are treated at home. Hospital admission is more likely for anyone who is pregnant, vomiting and unable to keep fluids or medicine down, showing signs of sepsis, has a known blockage or stone, has a single kidney or transplanted kidney, or is very young or frail.

Who is asked to wait, then? Only those at low risk with mild, local symptoms, and only with a clear plan for what to do if the picture changes. Everyone else is treated. The choice always rests with the clinician who has examined you.

Does the same antibiotic treat a UTI and kidney infection?

Often not, and the reasons are about geography inside the body rather than the strength of the medicine.

An antibiotic for a bladder infection needs to reach high concentrations in urine, because that is where the bacteria are. Some medicines used for cystitis are filtered by the kidneys and become concentrated in the bladder while achieving relatively low levels in tissues and blood. Nitrofurantoin is the textbook example of this pattern: effective where urine pools, but not relied upon for infection that has moved into kidney tissue, precisely because it does not concentrate there.

A kidney infection is a tissue infection with a real chance of bacteria in the bloodstream. Treatment therefore needs an agent that reaches good levels in kidney tissue and blood, not just urine. Different classes are chosen with this in mind, and the choice is shaped by local resistance patterns, allergies, pregnancy, kidney function and how unwell the person is. Severely ill patients may begin with intravenous treatment in hospital and switch to tablets as they improve.

Duration differs too. The NHS describes courses for uncomplicated cystitis in women as short, typically a few days, while kidney infection courses are longer, commonly running from about one to two weeks. The extra time reflects the deeper site of infection and the higher cost of leaving bacteria behind.

Resistance is the wild card. Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic both note that culture results may show the initial choice was a poor match, prompting a change. That is not a failure; it is the system working. Finishing the prescribed course, reporting if you are not improving, and never using leftover antibiotics from a previous infection are the three practical contributions a patient can make. Decisions about which medicine, and for how long, belong to the prescribing clinician who knows your history and your culture result.

What helps flush out a kidney infection?

This question is searched thousands of times a day, and the honest answer has two halves. Fluids help. Fluids alone do not treat a kidney infection.

Drinking enough that you pass pale urine regularly does several useful things. It dilutes bacterial numbers in the bladder, encourages frequent emptying that physically removes organisms, and helps you avoid dehydration when fever and vomiting are pulling water out of the body. The NHS recommends drinking plenty of fluids during both cystitis and kidney infection for exactly these reasons. Rest matters as well; a body fighting a systemic infection recovers faster when it is not also running a full workday.

What fluids cannot do is reach into inflamed kidney tissue and remove bacteria that have established themselves there. Pyelonephritis is a tissue infection, and both the NHS and Mayo Clinic are clear that it requires antibiotic treatment. Attempting to manage it with water, herbal teas or cranberry products while symptoms build risks bloodstream infection and lasting kidney damage. The window for safe home management of a feverish kidney infection without medical input is, in practical terms, zero.

Cranberry deserves a specific word because it is so often recommended. Research summarized by the NIH and NHS suggests cranberry products may modestly reduce recurrence of bladder infections in some people, but there is no reliable evidence that they treat an existing infection of either the bladder or kidney. They are not harmful for most people in ordinary amounts, but they are not a treatment.

The realistic framing is this: hydration and rest are the supporting cast, antibiotics chosen by a clinician are the lead, and follow-up is the safety net. If you cannot keep fluids down at all, that itself is a reason to seek care the same day, because it removes even the supporting role fluids can play.

How long does a kidney infection last, and what do the next weeks look like?

Timelines differ sharply between the two conditions, and knowing the expected shape of recovery helps you notice when something is off course.

For a bladder infection, the NHS indicates that mild cases often settle within about three days on their own, and that once antibiotics are started, symptoms usually begin to improve within a day or two. Burning eases first, then frequency and urgency. Cloudy or strong-smelling urine may lag slightly behind. If nothing has shifted after two days of treatment, or if fever appears, that is the moment to contact a clinician again.

A kidney infection follows a longer arc. The NHS notes that most people begin to feel better within a few days of starting treatment, that you should contact your clinician if there is no improvement after about 24 hours, and that most people feel completely well after roughly two weeks. Fever typically breaks first. Flank pain and the deep tiredness that accompany pyelonephritis take longer to lift, and appetite may return gradually. It is normal to feel washed out for a week or more even when the infection is clearly responding.

The days after treatment ends are about watching, not worrying. Recurrence of fever or flank pain within a few weeks may indicate an incompletely treated infection, a resistant organism, or an underlying problem such as a stone. Clinicians often arrange a follow-up review, and sometimes a repeat urine test, for people who have had a kidney infection, particularly if it was severe, recurrent or occurred during pregnancy.

Imaging is not routine after a single, uncomplicated episode that resolves as expected. It becomes more likely when infections recur, when a man has had a kidney infection, when children are affected, or when the initial illness was unusually severe. Your treating team will decide whether that step is needed based on the specifics of your case.

Pregnancy, men, children and older adults: when the usual rules change

The clean picture of burning-equals-bladder and fever-equals-kidney applies best to healthy, non-pregnant adult women. Four groups need a different lens.

Pregnancy raises the stakes for every urinary infection. Mayo Clinic notes that kidney infection in pregnancy is associated with complications including preterm birth and low birth weight. Because the ureters drain more slowly under pregnancy hormones and pressure from the uterus, bacteria in the bladder are more likely to climb. For this reason, pregnant patients are routinely screened for bacteria in the urine even without symptoms, and infections are treated rather than watched. Any pregnant person with urinary symptoms and fever should be assessed the same day.

Men get urinary infections far less often, and when they do, clinicians look harder for an underlying cause. An enlarged prostate can trap urine, and infection can involve the prostate itself, a condition called prostatitis that produces pelvic pain, fever and difficulty passing urine. Male UTIs are generally treated as complicated, with cultures sent and longer courses used.

Children may not localize pain or describe burning. In infants and toddlers, MedlinePlus notes that a UTI may show up only as fever, irritability, poor feeding or vomiting. Because kidney infection in young children can scar developing kidneys, unexplained fever in a small child is routinely investigated with a urine test.

Older adults present the hardest puzzle. Fever may be absent even with a kidney infection, and new confusion, falls or reduced appetite may be the only changes. At the same time, the CDC and others caution that many older adults carry bacteria in their urine without any infection, a state called asymptomatic bacteriuria that does not need antibiotics. Distinguishing true infection from harmless colonization requires clinical judgment, not a dipstick alone.

What people often get wrong about urinary infections

Some beliefs about bladder and kidney infections are harmless. Others delay care or lead to unnecessary treatment. These are the ones clinicians most often find themselves correcting.

Cloudy or smelly urine means infection. Not necessarily. Concentration, diet and certain foods change how urine looks and smells. The NHS notes that dipstick results, not appearance alone, guide the decision, and in older adults even a positive dipstick may reflect harmless bacteria rather than infection.

No fever, no kidney involvement. Usually true in younger adults, but older people, those with diabetes and people on immune-suppressing medicine can have kidney infection with little or no fever. Flank pain and feeling systemically unwell carry weight even without a raised temperature.

Back pain with urinary symptoms is always a kidney infection. Kidney stones produce severe one-sided pain and can cause blood in the urine, and they may exist with or without infection. Muscular back pain can coincide with a bladder infection by chance. The combination is a reason for assessment, not a diagnosis.

Leftover antibiotics will sort it out. A medicine prescribed for a previous bladder infection may not reach kidney tissue, may not match the current bacterium, and may not be the right duration. Self-treatment also removes the chance to send a culture before antibiotics obscure the result.

Cranberry juice treats infection. As discussed earlier, evidence supports at most a modest role in preventing recurrence, and none for treating an active infection.

Sex causes UTIs, so avoiding it prevents them. Sexual activity can move bacteria toward the urethra, but it is one factor among many. Passing urine soon afterward and staying hydrated are reasonable habits; abstinence is not a medical recommendation.

A kidney infection always means hospital. The NHS notes most people with kidney infection are treated at home. Admission is reserved for severe illness, pregnancy, vomiting or complicating conditions.

Questions to ask your care team

A ten-minute appointment moves quickly. Having a few questions ready helps you leave with a plan you understand rather than a prescription you do not.

• Based on my symptoms and examination, do you think this infection is in my bladder, my kidney, or both? What made you lean that way?
• Has a urine culture been sent? If so, when will the result be back, and will someone contact me if the antibiotic needs to change?
• What signs would mean the infection is getting worse rather than better, and who should I contact if they appear outside office hours?
• How soon should I expect to feel improvement, and at what point should I call if I do not?
• Is there anything about my history, such as pregnancy, diabetes, a previous kidney infection or a known stone, that changes how you want to manage this?
• Do I need any follow-up appointment, repeat urine test or imaging after this course finishes?
• Are there activities I should avoid while I recover, and when is it reasonable to return to work or exercise?
• If I have had several infections in the past year, is it worth discussing prevention strategies?

Two further conversations are worth having when they apply. If you are a man, ask whether the prostate might be involved and whether that changes the plan. If you are caring for an older relative with new confusion, ask directly whether the team is confident this is a true infection rather than bacteria that happen to be present, since the two are managed very differently.

Write the answers down, or ask for them in writing. Fever and fatigue make memory unreliable, and the point at which you most need to recall the plan is often the point at which you feel least able to.

When to call your doctor

Most bladder infections are uncomfortable rather than dangerous, and many settle with time or a short course of treatment. Kidney infections, and the warning signs that a bladder infection may be climbing, are a different matter. The guidance below reflects NHS and Mayo Clinic advice; the decision about how urgently to be seen belongs to the clinician you speak to.

Contact your doctor or an urgent care service the same day if you have urinary symptoms together with: a fever or shivering chills; pain in your side, flank or lower back; nausea or vomiting; blood you can see in your urine; symptoms that have not improved after a few days, or after about 24 hours of antibiotics for a suspected kidney infection; or if you are pregnant, male, have diabetes, a weakened immune system, a single kidney, a kidney transplant or a urinary catheter.

Seek emergency care immediately if you develop: a very high temperature with confusion, drowsiness or difficulty staying awake; rapid breathing or a racing heartbeat; cold, clammy, pale or mottled skin; severe pain that is not controlled; inability to pass urine at all; or vomiting so persistent you cannot keep fluids down. These can be signs of sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to infection, and Mayo Clinic identifies sepsis as a recognized complication of kidney infection.

For children, any unexplained fever in an infant, or fever with vomiting, poor feeding or unusual sleepiness, warrants prompt assessment. For older adults, new confusion, a fall or sudden loss of appetite alongside any urinary change is a reason to call, even without fever.

If you are ever unsure, calling is the right choice. Clinicians would far rather rule out a kidney infection early than treat one late.

Frequently asked questions

What are the 5 warning signs of a bladder infection?

The NHS describes the common features of cystitis as burning or stinging when passing urine, needing to go more often, a sudden urgent need to go, passing small amounts, and cloudy or strong-smelling urine, sometimes with low pelvic ache. Fever and back pain are not typical and suggest the infection may have spread. These features guide clinicians rather than confirm a diagnosis; a urine test is still needed.

What are the early signs of kidney infection?

Early signs of kidney infection usually include a high temperature, shivering or chills, and pain in one side of the back or flank under the ribs, often appearing within hours according to the NHS. Nausea, vomiting, weakness and loss of appetite commonly follow. Burning and urgency may be present too, because the bladder is often involved. Any of these alongside urinary symptoms warrants same-day medical contact.

Can a UTI turn into a kidney infection if left untreated?

Yes. Most kidney infections begin as bladder infections whose bacteria travel up the ureters to the kidney. The risk is higher in pregnancy, with kidney stones or other blockages, diabetes, a weakened immune system, or a urinary catheter. Most bladder infections do not progress, but the appearance of fever, flank pain or vomiting during a bladder infection is the signal that upward spread may be happening.

How long does a kidney infection last with treatment?

According to the NHS, most people with a kidney infection start to feel better within a few days of beginning antibiotics and feel completely well after about two weeks. Fever usually settles first, while flank pain and fatigue lift more slowly. If there is no improvement after roughly 24 hours of treatment, the NHS advises contacting your clinician, since the antibiotic may need to be changed.

Kidney infection symptoms vs UTI: what is the single biggest difference?

Fever. A bladder infection typically causes local symptoms such as burning and urgency while leaving you otherwise well; a kidney infection produces a systemic illness with high temperature, chills and often nausea, plus one-sided back or flank pain. Clinicians use the whole picture, examination and urine tests to decide, but fever with urinary symptoms is the feature that most often shifts the diagnosis toward the kidney.

Does the same antibiotic treat a UTI and kidney infection?

Often not. Bladder infections need medicines that concentrate in urine, and some of those achieve only low levels in kidney tissue and blood. A kidney infection is a tissue infection with a risk of bacteria in the bloodstream, so clinicians choose agents that reach the kidney and typically prescribe a longer course. Culture results, allergies, pregnancy and local resistance patterns all influence the prescriber’s choice.

What helps flush out a kidney infection at home?

Drinking plenty of fluids and resting support recovery by keeping you hydrated and encouraging regular urination, and the NHS recommends both. They do not replace treatment, however. A kidney infection requires antibiotics prescribed by a clinician; attempting to manage a feverish kidney infection with fluids or cranberry products alone risks bloodstream infection and kidney scarring. If you cannot keep fluids down, seek care the same day.

Can you have a kidney infection without a fever?

Yes, particularly in older adults, people with diabetes and those taking immune-suppressing medicines, whose temperature response can be blunted. In these groups flank pain, new confusion, weakness or loss of appetite may be the main clues. Absence of fever is generally reassuring in younger, otherwise healthy adults, but it does not rule out kidney involvement, which is why examination and urine testing remain essential.

How do doctors tell a kidney stone from a kidney infection?

Both can cause severe one-sided flank pain and blood in the urine. Stones tend to cause pain that comes in intense waves and moves toward the groin, often without fever, while kidney infection usually brings fever, chills and a steadier ache. A urine test showing white cells and nitrites favors infection; imaging such as ultrasound or CT can show a stone. The two can occur together, which makes fever with a stone an urgent situation.

Do older adults with bacteria in their urine always need antibiotics?

No. Many older adults carry bacteria in the urine without any infection, a state called asymptomatic bacteriuria, and guidance from the CDC and others advises against treating it, because antibiotics in that setting bring side effects and resistance without benefit. Treatment is reserved for genuine infection, judged by new urinary symptoms, fever, flank pain or a clear change in wellbeing, rather than by a dipstick result alone.

References

• NHS – Kidney infection
• NHS – Cystitis
• NIH NIDDK – Kidney Infection (Pyelonephritis)
• Cleveland Clinic – Kidney Infection (Pyelonephritis)

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.