Urinary Tract Infections & Renal Calculi

Typical UTI symptoms — dysuria, urgency, frequency, and suprapubic discomfort — are often absent or replaced by atypical presentations (confusion, falls, general malaise) in older adults, making a UTI an important, easily-missed differential whenever an older adult presents with new confusion. Escalating symptoms (flank pain, fever, chills, nausea/vomiting) suggest the infection has ascended to the kidney (pyelonephritis), a more serious infection requiring more aggressive treatment and monitoring for progression to sepsis.