Altered renovascular resistance after spontaneous recovery from hemolytic uremic syndrome

Twenty-three patients were evaluated from 1-15 (mean 6) years after recovering from an episode of diarrhea-associated associated childhood hemolytic uremic syndrome (DA-HUS). All patients had received only conservative treatment; none had been given experimental, anti-coagulant, or immunological therapies. Follow-up studies included morphologic and duplex Doppler sonograms. Doppler sonography was used to determine the resistive index, a measure of renovascular resistance. Histories and physical examinations revealed no abnormalities. Results of laboratory studies, which included calculated glomerular filtration rates, were all within normal limits, except for one patient with minor urinary abnormalities. Renal sonograms showed no significant abnormalities of kidney length or parenchymal appearance. However, Doppler sonographic examinations revealed that the DA-HUS patients demonstrated less of a decrease in renovascular resistance with age than did the control group (p < 0.0002). After recovery, patients treated exclusively with conservative management during an acute episode of DA-HUS appeared to have an excellent long-term prognosis. Comparison of our results with those from other studies in which investigational therapies have been used during the acute phase of DA-HUS suggests that latent toxicities which cause long term sequelae may not have been appreciated previously. The clinical significance of the altered renal vascular resistance remains to be delineated.