Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
(HUS)

Medical Author: Benjamin C. Wedro, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

• What is a "syndrome?"
• What is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)?
• What causes hemolytic uremic syndrome?
• What are the signs and symptoms of hemolytic uremic syndrome?
• How is hemolytic uremic syndrome diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for hemolytic uremic syndrome?
• What is the outcome of hemolytic uremic syndrome?
• How can hemolytic uremic syndrome be prevented?
• Read what your doctor is reading:
  Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome - on Medscape

What is a "syndrome?"

The definition of a syndrome in medicine is a collection of symptoms (patient complaints), signs (findings on physical examination), and laboratory or imaging findings that tend to group together and be associated with a specific disease or illness.

What is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)?

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a disease of blood clotting within the capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in the body. As red blood cells pass through the clogged capillaries, they are sheared apart and broken. This is called hemolysis and accounts for the first part of the syndrome's name. The other half of the syndrome's name refers to kidney failure in which urea and other waste products build up in the bloodstream because the kidney cannot filter and dispose of them. (urea=a waste chemical + emia= in the blood).

HUS is also related to another disease caused by a similar clotting process within the capillaries called thrombotic thrombocytic purpura (TTP). Within the medical literature, these two conditions are often considered together. HUS is more widely known, however, because it has been discussed in the press because of its relationship to a special type of E. Coli (Escherichia coli) infection associated with food poisoning.

Suggested Reading by Our Doctors

• ticlopidine, Ticlid - Information on ticlopidine (Ticlid) a drug prescribed for the prevention of strokes or TIAs (mini-strokes) to prevent blood clots in stents placed in the heart. Off label uses are included in the information.
• Electrolytes - Read about blood electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicorbonate) and the effects of electrolyte imbalances like kidney failure, low blood pressure, hypokalemia, and hyperkalemia.
• Kidney Failure - Learn about kidney failure, in which the body has fluid retention, risen blood pressure, toxin build up and lack of red blood cells. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, and apetite loss.

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