title: Hemolytic uremic syndrome: late renal injury and changing incidence-a single centre experience in Canada.
abstract: Aims. To assess trends in the incidence of pediatric diarrhea-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (D(+) HUS) and document long-term renal sequelae. Methods. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children with D(+) HUS admitted to a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Montreal, Canada, from 1976 to 2010. In 2010, we recontacted patients admitted before 2000. Results. Of 337 cases, median age at presentation was 3.01 years (range 0.4-14). Yearly incidence peaked in 1988 and 1994-95, returning to near-1977 levels since 2003. Twelve patients (3.6%) died and 19 (5.6%) experienced long-term renal failure. Almost half (47%) The patients required dialysis. Need for dialysis was the best predictor of renal sequelae, accounting for 100% of severe complications. Of children followed ≥1 year (n = 199, mean follow-up 8.20 ± 6.78 years), 19 had severe and 18 mild-to-moderate kidney injury, a total sequelae rate, of 18.6%. Ten years or more after-HUS (n = 85, mean follow-up 15.4 ± 5.32 years), 8 (9.4%) patients demonstrated serious complications and 22 (25.9%) mild-to-moderate, including 14 (16%) microalbuminuria: total sequelae, 35.3%. Conclusions. Patients with D(+) HUS should be monitored at least 5 years, including microalbuminuria testing, especially if dialysis was required. The cause of the declining incidence of D(+)HUS is elusive. However, conceivably, improved public health education may have played an important role in the prevention of food-borne disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics and Sainte-Justine Hospital (CHU Sainte-Justine), University of Montreal, 3175 Côte Ste-Catherine, Montreal, QC, Canada H3T 1C5.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Robitaille
authors.forename: Marie-José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Clermont
authors.forename: Aïcha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mérouani
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Phan
authors.forename: Anne-Laure
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Lapeyraque