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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 29, 2009.
- Urinary tract infections in adults. UrologyHealth.org. http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=07&topic=147. Accessed June 29, 2009.
- 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.
- Masson P, et al. Meta-analyses in prevention and treatment urinary tract infections. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2009;23:355.
- Norris DL, et al. Urinary tract infections: Diagnosis and management in the emergency department. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. 2008;26:413.
- Neal DE. Complicated urinary tract infections. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2008;35:13.
- Urinary tract infections. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp050.cfm. Accessed June 30, 2009.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Urinary tract infection and kidney infection. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2004.
