pyelitis

9.9

An infection in the part of the kidney where urine collects

noun
/ˌpaɪəˈlaɪtɪs/

Specialized

: pielitis

The patient was diagnosed with pyelitis after presenting with fever and lower back pain.

Examples

Antibiotic treatment is usually prescribed to manage cases of pyelitis.
Untreated pyelitis can sometimes lead to more serious kidney infections.
She has pyelitis.
Don't ignore pyelitis!
The patient experienced severe abdominal discomfort and was diagnosed with pyelitis.
Doctors usually recommend a urine test if pyelitis is suspected due to its symptoms.
Prompt treatment of pyelitis is crucial to prevent complications such as kidney damage.

Surface Forms

pyelitis singular

pyelitides plural

Morphology

pyelitis = pyel + itis

Formed from the medical combining form 'pyel-' (renal pelvis) + '-itis' (inflammation); 'pyel-' is not a standalone English word and the term is specialized medical vocabulary, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from the parts.

Etymology

Pyelitis comes from the Greek root pyel- meaning 'basin' or 'trough', referring to the part of the kidney that collects urine. The ending -itis means 'inflammation', as in tonsillitis, so pyelitis is inflammation of that kidney basin.