Shiga toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome: absence of recurrence after renal transplantation

We evaluated the relationship between the acute phase and the development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and the outcome of renal transplant in patients with Shiga toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (Stx-HUS). A 20-year retrospective study was performed of 66 renal transplants in 62 patients with Stx-HUS compared with 189 renal allografts in 178 children with other diseases. Of 62 patients, 61 had >7 days of oliguria during the acute phase. Stx-HUS patient survival was not different from controls (92% vs. 83% 15 years after renal transplantation). In the cyclosporine (CsA) era, survival of grafts from living related (LRD) and cadaver (CD) donors in Stx-HUS and control patients was 83% versus 70% ( P<0.03) and 77% versus 49% ( P<0.05) at 10 years. Graft survival in Stx-HUS and dysplasia/obstructive uropathy patients was 79% versus 76% ( P=NS), but it was different from that of other diseases (79% vs. 58%, P<0.001). There was no clinical or histopathological evidence of Stx-HUS recurrence. In conclusion, in Stx-HUS patients the duration of the acute oliguric period was a good predictor for the progression to ESRD. Use of CsA and the absence of recurrence of the disease influenced the excellent prognosis in Stx-HUS patients after renal transplantation. The development of ESRD in Stx-HUS could be mediated by non-immunological factors.