Changes and clinical significance of complement C3 in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome in children

Abstract

Objective To observe the changes of complement C3 in children with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and discuss its clinical significance. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of children with aHUS diagnosed in our hospital from May 2014 to May 2018. According to the results of complement C3 test, the patients were divided into the complement C3 reduction group and the complement C3 normal group, and the age of onset, gender, and severity of disease of the two groups were compared. Results A total of 20 cases were enrolled, including 13 cases in the C3 reduction group (65%) and 7 cases in the C3 normal group (35%). There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, and lactate dehydrogenase between the two groups, while the platelet count in the C3 reduction group was significantly lower than that in the C3 normal group (P<0.05). Conclusion About 2/3 of children with aHUS showed a decrease trend in complement C3, and the platelet count of children with C3 reduction decreased significantly, the mechanism of which remained to be further studied clinically. Key words: Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS); Children; Complement C3