Medium urgency
-Moderately severe
Disease characterised by anaemia, platelet deficiency and renal failure. It affects most frequently children between the ages of 1 month and 3 years old.
The most common cause is a gastrointestinal infection due to intestinal bacteria from the gut (enterobacteriae such as E. coli).
It initially manifests as a gastrointestinal clinical picture with abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea with mucus and blood. After three days, the destruction of red blood cells causes asthenia, pallor and urine of a brownish colour.
Diagnosis is reached through clinical questioning, a physical exploration and a blood analysis.
Treatment involves hospitalisation with blood transfusion, dialysis and immunosuppressive treatment in the most severe cases.
- Lucio Luzzatto. Anemias hemolíticas y anemia consecutiva a hemorragia aguda. Harrison. Principios de Medicina Interna. Volumen 2. 19ª Edición. Pág: 657.
- Barbara A. Konkle. Trastornos de las plaquetas y la pared vascular. Harrison. Principios de Medicina Interna. Volumen 2. 19ª Edición. Pág: 730.
- Patrick Niaudet. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in children. UpToDate, Jan 22, 2016.
- Noris M, Remuzzi G. Hemolytic uremic syndrome. J Am Soc Nephrol 2005; 16:1035.
- Loirat C. An international consensus approach to the management of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome in children. Pediatr Nephrol 2016; 31:15.
- Tarr PI. Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli and haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Lancet 2005; 365:1073.
Dr. Patricia Sánchez
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