RESEARCH ARTICLE
A Simplified Approach to the Diagnosis of Atypical HUS: Clinical Considerations and Practical Implications
Arif Asif *, 1, Tushar Vachharajani 2, Loay Salman 3, Ali Nayer 3
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2014Volume: 7
First Page: 91
Last Page: 94
Publisher ID: TOUNJ-7-91
DOI: 10.2174/1874303X01407010091
Article History:
Received Date: 22/4/2014Revision Received Date: 1/5/2014
Acceptance Date: 6/5/2014
Electronic publication date: 1 /10/2014
Collection year: 2014
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Although rare, atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS) carries a high morbidity and mortality. Widespread microvascular thrombosis, thrombocytopenia and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia are the hallmark of aHUS. Virtually any organ (particularly the kidney) can be a target for the devastating effects of this syndrome. Uncontrolled activation of the alternative pathway of the complement system lies at the heart of the pathogenesis of aHUS. While significant advances have been made in our understanding of aHUS, establishing timely diagnosis of this syndrome has been challenging. This, in part, is due to the absence of a sensitive and specific diagnostic test and a relatively lack of our familiarity with the syndrome. With the recent success and approval of a humanized monoclonal antibody (eculizumab) in the treatment of aHUS, prompt and accurate diagnosis is of paramount importance to limit the target organ injury. This article presents a simplified approach to establishing the diagnosis of aHUS.
