Yonsei Med J.  2006 Jun;47(3):437-439. 10.3349/ymj.2006.47.3.437.

A Case of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome Caused by Escherichia coli O104:H4

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea. choikc@chonnam.ac.kr

Abstract

A 29-year-old woman presented with bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure. She was diagnosed with Escherichia coli O104:H4-associated hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) and treated with plasmapheresis and hemodialysis for 3 weeks. She recovered without sequelae. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Escherichia coli O104:H4-associated HUS in Korea. We recommend that Escherichia coli O104:H4, as well as the more common O157:H7, be considered in the diagnosis of bloody diarrhea-associated HUS.

Keyword

Hemolytic uremic syndrome; E. coli

MeSH Terms

Humans
Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome/*microbiology
Female
Escherichia coli Infections/*complications
Escherichia coli/*classification
Adult

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Peripheral blood smear showed polychromasia, anisocytosis and schistocytes, consistent with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (hematoxylin and eosin, × 400).


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