Haemolytic uraemic syndrome and accumulation of haemoglobin-haptoglobin complexes in plasma in serum sickness caused by penicillin drugs.

2 patients treated with penicillin and ampicillin, respectively, suffered from haemorrhagic diathesis, haemolysis, cerebral symptoms and renal insufficiency, resembling a haemolytic-uraemic syndrome. Their plasma was red due to the presence during several days of haemoglobin-haptoglobin complexes, the P-haemoglobin being 2.8 and 1.6 g/l, respectively. Coagulation tests showed an unusual pattern with prolonged activated partial thromboplastin times, an extremely long thrombin time and very high levels of fibrinogen degradation products. Repeated transfusion had no effect. The patients were considered to have developed a drug-induced serum sickness associated with insufficient function of the reticuloendothelial system, and secondary to this an accumulation of haemoglobin-haptoglobin complexes in plasma. When the penicillin drugs were discontinued, all measured variables rapidly normalised and the patients recovered completely. Thus, the haemolyticuraemic syndrome seemed to be caused by the serum sickness, possibly via circulating or cell-associated immune complexes. The possibility of a type III allergic reaction should be considered in patients with haemolytic-uraemic-like syndromes.