Can a UTI cause chills?

Chills may occur as the body responds to infection and can happen before or alongside a measured fever. A kidney infection may cause chills with flank or back pain, nausea, vomiting, and painful or frequent urination. Influenza, pneumonia, dengue fever, or malaria can also cause chills, depending on exposure and other symptoms. Sepsis is a serious response to infection and may involve confusion, fast breathing, faintness, or extreme weakness.

If chills occur with burning urine, urgency, fever, back pain, or feeling generally unwell, contact a clinician promptly. Record your temperature and note when the chills began, recent travel, insect exposure, cough, breathlessness, or gastrointestinal symptoms. Drink normally if you can, rest, and do not take antibiotics left from an earlier illness.

Go to urgent care or an emergency department for confusion, fainting, severe breathlessness, blue or grey lips, repeated vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, very little urine, or rapidly worsening weakness. Shaking chills with severe illness need urgent evaluation even if the temperature is not high.

Ask whether you need urine testing, blood tests, or assessment for a kidney infection. Mention travel, mosquito exposure, respiratory symptoms, pregnancy, immune conditions, and medicines, because these details change which causes need consideration.