[T and B lymphocytes and NK cells in hemolytic uremic syndrome]

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a serious problem in Argentina, where 50% of the known cases are reported to come from. In the so-called "typical" HUS, anemia, thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure are usually preceded by an episode of infection. Many agents such as bacteria, toxins and viruses have been linked with the prodromal episode, but the reason for the occurrence of HUS in only a small portion of individuals with identical previous symptoms, is not clear. The hypothesis of a particular immune response modifying the susceptibility of some hosts to develop the syndrome after an otherwise well tolerated infection is not formally excluded. The aim of our work was to explore some immunological parameters in order to add more data concerning the immunologic changes occurring during the acute phase of HUS in 24 pediatric patients. We coincide with previous authors on the normal values of serum complement levels and the increase of IgG, IgA and IgM concentrations. (Table 1). We also report a significant and transient decrease in the percentage of T lymphocytes and an increase in the relative number of B lymphocytes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)