[Hemolytic uremic syndrome].

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) was first reported by Gasser in 1966 as a syndrome characterized by triadic symptomatology of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA), thrombocytopenia and acute renal failure, affecting young children more than adults. Its causes include hemorrhagic colitis, cancer, chemotherapy, pregnancy, transplantation and so on. Considering a variety of causes for HUS, it is obvious that adults may be also affected by this syndrome. Since a pathogenetic relationship between HUS and verotoxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) infection was pointed out in 1983, there have been substantial progresses in understanding of the VTEC infection, a leading cause for HUS among the causes described above, is now emerging as one of national crisis-management matters in the health and welfare administration in our country. Therefore, in this review, we discuss a current understanding of the pathophysiology and reevaluation of recommended therapeutic modalities for HUS mainly in the case of VTEC infection induced HUS.