HUS Risk Factors

Related Information: Heart disease, hus risks, high blood pressure

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a common disease among children of age 10. People with immature or weak or underdeveloped immune systems like very young children or older adults possess the risk of being affected by hemolytic uremic syndrome mostly soon after an infection by E. coli. National Institutes of Health predicts that in almost half the patients who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, there occurs a sudden kidney failure. Hence in reality, HUS is the best known cause of the acute kidney failure especially in children. The other possible occurrences are high blood pressure, heart problems, coma, stroke, chronic kidney failure apart from acute kidney failure.

Careful observation is very essential to look for any symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome soon after a patient is being diagnosed with an infection by shiga-toxin produced by E. coli strain O157:H7 (STEC). STEC has been found to be the leading cause of HUS. Further, it can begin within 3-14 days after bloody diarrhea starts. Almost nearly 3% to 15% of people infected by STEC are sure to develop HUS as well with a higher number of children in the age of 10 years and the elderly, especially the people with weaker immune systems and those who have more contacts with farm animals being the most to be infected.

Other risk factors which can occur due to HUS are

• Bloody diarrhea along with infections by E. coli strain O157:H7 and enterohemorrhagic E. coli strains

• Fever (occurs in only 10% to 20% of the STEC infections)

• Increased WBC count (indicating infection)

• Increased levels of C-reactive protein (acute phase protein which activates complement and helps complement opsonization, sign of infection)

• Antibiotics use

• Using antimotility/antidiarrheal drugs (relieve abdominal pain when infected by STEC)

• Higher risk for children of age 10, elderly people, and also immune-suppressed people

• Anemia along with associated blood disorders

• Abnormal kidney function

• Seizures

• Blindness

• High blood pressure

• Paralysis

In spite of many people who develop HUS are able to recover fully but many people do develop other health complications which may even be permanent at times mainly due to the illness. And only certain groups of people are more prone to develop the worst effects.

HUS cases were very rare in the past but recently it has increased in occurrence in children mostly due to the rising prevalence of very harmful or dangerous E. coli strains. It has grown to such an extent that it has caused renal failure in many children.

HUS can lead to severe anemia which in turn leads to bruising, futile blood clotting, high BP, damaging walls of blood vessels and finally hemorrhaging. This might be one of the results and the other is kidney damage finally resulting in permanent kidney failure. Mostly this condition is treated by blood transfusions or kidney dialysis.