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Untreated Urinary Tract Infections

A urinary tract infection, an inflammation of the urinary system, is a common problem that most people will have at least once in their life. Fortunately, urinary tract infections are easily treatable and prevented. Still, many people leave their infections untreated, leading to more serious health conditions and complications.

  1. UTI Causes and Symptoms

    • Urinary tract infections (also called UTIs) most often occur when bacteria like E. coli or staph are introduced into the urinary system. Normally, this happens at the opening where the urine is excreted, the urethra. As the bacteria travel up the urinary system, they infect the urethra, the bladder and even the kidneys. Symptoms of urinary tract infections include burning when urinating or pain in the lower back or pelvis. Your urine may also be dark, cloudy or bloody. In rare cases, a UTI can have no symptoms at all.

    Why UTIs Go Untreated

    • Even though urinary tract infections are easily treated, people fail to treat them for several reasons. The most common reason is that the UTI doesn't present any symptoms or the symptoms are mistaken for something else, such as vaginitis or certain sexually transmitted diseases. Another reason a urinary tract infection may go untreated is that it occurs in a baby or elderly person. While infants and the elderly are prone to UTIs, they may not have the communication skills to tell you about their symptoms.

    Kidney Disease and Failure

    • Urinary tract infections usually begin as urethritis, an inflammation of the urethra, and travel up the urinary system, leading to the kidneys. The worst kind of urinary tract infection is the kidney infection, also called pyelonephritis. Untreated urinary tract infections can lead to pyelonephritis-caused kidney disease. In the most extreme cases, the infection can lead to kidney failure.

      As your kidneys start losing their functioning abilities, they are unable to filter the blood efficiently or release the hormones it normally does. The results are high blood pressure, anemia and even bone loss. It can also lead to dangerous conditions like uremia, which is a buildup of waste in your blood and can cause brain failure.

    Treatment

    • When your urinary tract infections have been left untreated and have resulted in kidney disease or failure, there are very few treatment options. Damage to kidneys is irreversible and if the functioning abilities have been significantly decreased, you will likely have to undergo kidney dialysis. Kidney dialysis is the filtration of the blood through artificial means, usually a machine in a hospital or clinic setting. While you may lead a relatively long and healthy life on kidney dialysis, it is meant to be a temporary measure. If medically possible, your health care provider will recommend a kidney transplant. However, finding a healthy kidney donor with matching blood type and other factors can be extremely difficult and the procedure is not always successful.

    Prevention

    • To prevent an untreated urinary tract infection from having serious consequences, you should be very observant about any symptoms. If you observe any symptoms that may be related to a UTI, you should see a health care provider for proper diagnosis. Regardless of whether you treat your infection through home remedies or prescription antibiotics, if you don't see an improvement in your symptoms within a few days, you should contact your health care provider. He can come up with a treatment that may prevent your urinary tract infection from worsening.

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