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[Hemolytic uremic syndrome following EHEC infection]
Ferruh Artunc1, Kerstin Amann, Michael Haap
1Medizinische Klinik, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen. ferruh.artunc@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift (1946)
|September 20, 2011
Summary
The 2011 German hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) outbreak, caused by E. coli O104:H4, severely affected patients. Plasma separation therapy effectively halted hemolysis and disease progression in most cases.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Infectious Diseases
- Hematology
Background:
- Reports on four patients treated for typical hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) during the May 2011 Germany outbreak.
- Identifies enterohemorrhagic E. coli O104:H4 as the causative agent in all patients.
Observation:
- Patients presented with thrombotic microangiopathy, fragmented erythrocytes, high LDH, thrombocytopenia, and acute kidney injury.
- Three of four patients required plasma separation with fresh frozen plasma due to severe symptoms.
Findings:
- Plasma separation therapy, involving 7-13 treatments, successfully stopped hemolysis and disease activity.
- All treated patients showed recovery of kidney injury and negative stool cultures post-treatment.
- One patient experienced a self-limiting course without requiring plasma separation.
Implications:
- The 2011 HUS outbreak in Germany was severe, particularly in women.
- Plasma separation is an effective treatment for halting hemolytic uremic syndrome activity.
- Early intervention with plasma separation can lead to recovery from acute kidney injury.
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