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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffIf left untreated, a kidney infection can lead to potentially serious complications, such as:
- Permanent kidney damage. A kidney infection can lead to permanent kidney damage that causes chronic kidney failure.
- Blood poisoning (septicemia). Your kidneys filter waste from your blood and then return your blood to the rest of your body. If you have a kidney infection, the bacteria can spread as the kidneys return blood to circulation.
- Pregnancy complications. Women who develop a kidney infection during pregnancy may have an increased risk of delivering low birth weight babies.
References
- Pyelonephritis (kidney infection) in adults. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/pyelonephritis/. Accessed June 24, 2011.
- Urinary tract infection in adults. AUA Foundation. http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=47. Accessed June 24, 2011.
- Schaeffer AJ, et al. Infections of the urinary tract. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/146625683-4/0/1445/0.html. Accessed June 29, 2009.
- Urinary tract infections in adults. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/utiadult/index.htm. Accessed June 24, 2011.
- Urinary tract infections. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp050.cfm. Accessed June 24, 2011.
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