Urinary Retention - Complications

Complications

Urinary retention often occurs without warning. It is basically the inability to pass urine. In some people, the disorder starts gradually but in others it may appear suddenly. Acute urinary retention is a medical emergency and requires prompt treatment. The pain can be excruciating when urine is not able to flow out. Moreover one can develop severe sweating, chest pain, anxiety and high blood pressure. Other patients may develop a shock like condition and may be require an admission to the hospital. It is not unusual for an individual to develop a heart attack after suffering acute urinary retention. Other more serious complications of untreated urinary retention include bladder damage and chronic kidney failure. Urinary retention is a disorder which is treated in a hospital and the quicker one seeks treatment, the fewer the complications.

In the longer term, obstruction of the urinary tract may cause:

• Bladder stones
• Atrophy of the detrusor muscle (atonic bladder is an extreme form)
• Hydronephrosis (congestion of the kidneys)
• Hypertrophy of the detrusor muscle (the muscle which squeezes the bladder to empty it during urination)
• Diverticula (the formation of pouches) in the bladder wall (which can lead to stones and infection)