What are the potential complications of HUS that I should monitor for in my patients?

Potential complications of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) to monitor in patients include:

• Acute kidney injury (AKI): This is the hallmark complication, often leading to oliguria or anuria and requiring close monitoring of renal function and fluid balance ¹ (Scheiring et al., 2010).
• Chronic kidney disease (CKD): Long-term renal impairment can develop, necessitating ongoing assessment of kidney function even after the acute phase ¹ (Yerigeri et al., 2023).
• Neurological complications: These may include seizures, stroke, altered mental status, or coma due to microvascular injury in the central nervous system (CNS) (Scheiring et al., 2010) (Formeck and Swiatecka-Urban, 2019).
• Cardiovascular involvement: Hypertension and cardiac dysfunction can occur secondary to volume overload and endothelial injury (Formeck and Swiatecka-Urban, 2019) (Yerigeri et al., 2023).
• Gastrointestinal complications: These include abdominal pain, pancreatitis, and bowel ischemia due to microthrombi formation (Scheiring et al., 2010).
• Hematological issues: Persistent microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia may lead to bleeding or thrombotic events (Scheiring et al., 2010).
• Extra-renal manifestations: Atypical HUS can involve multiple organs including the lungs, liver, and skin, reflecting systemic endothelial damage (Formeck and Swiatecka-Urban, 2019) (Yerigeri et al., 2023).

Close monitoring of renal function, neurological status, blood pressure, and hematological parameters is essential to detect and manage these complications promptly.