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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffWhen treated promptly and properly, bladder infections rarely lead to complications. But left untreated, they can become something more serious. Complications may include:
- Kidney infection. An untreated bladder infection can lead to kidney infection (pyelonephritis), which could be associated with a bacterial bloodstream infection (bacteremia). Kidney infections may permanently damage your kidneys. Young children and older adults are at the greatest risk of kidney damage due to bladder infections because their symptoms are often overlooked or mistaken for other conditions.
- Blood in the urine. Blood found in the urine (hematuria) is not uncommon with chemotherapy- or radiation-induced cystitis. This is sometimes referred to as hemorrhagic cystitis. Increasing fluid intake is usually the first step in treatment. If bleeding becomes severe, the treatment that initiated the bleeding is usually postponed until the bleeding improves. Severe bleeding is treated with medication or blood transfusion, if necessary.
