[Hemolytic-uremic syndrome and Streptococcus pneumoniae]

Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) is an uncommon complication of pneumococcal infection. Highly suggesting findings in a patient with Streptococcus pneumoniae infection are: microangyopatic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure. We report a 41 years old woman, admitted to the hospital due to a severe pneumonia, that required the surgical drainage of an empyema. On admission, a drop in packed red cell volume from 41 to 25%, the presence of schistocytes in the blood smear, an elevation of LDH to 1,700 IU/L, a fall in haptoglobin to 5.8 mg/dL and a thrombocytopenia of 72,000 per mm3 were detected. These alterations coincided with an oliguric acute renal failure. She was treated with hemodialysis and the hemolytic syndrome was managed with plasmapheresis. She was discharged 35 days after admission and in the follow up, after 2.5 months, her serum creatinine is 1.2 mg/dL and her packed red cell volume is 41%.