Pregnancy-associated atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare disease of uncontrolled alternative pathway complement activation and pregnancy-associated aHUS (P-aHUS) is a more rare but life-threatening disorder. Besides gene screening, ADAMTS-13 detection and renal biopsy is helpful to establish diagnosis and prognosis assessment when kidney is involved. Combined liver-kidney transplant and eculizumab therapy has generally been the initial approach to this disease management besides therapeutic plasma exchange and plasma infusion. Though transplant and eculizumab therapy may be more effective than traditional therapy, it is much more expensive and not easily available. Herein we report a case of P-aHUS and our case indicates that plasma exchange and hemodialysis may be effective to P-aHUS for those not suitable/available for eculizumab treatment or transplant.