Pearls & Oy-sters: Neurologic Involvement in Shiga Toxin–Associated Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: (STEC) is among the most common pathogens that cause bacterial enteritis. They can also lead to extraintestinal manifestations including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is defined by the triad of hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal dysfunction due to Shiga toxin-mediated damage to the vascular endothelium with a subsequent inflammatory reaction and thrombotic microangiopathy. The thrombotic microangiopathy mainly affects the small blood vessels of the kidneys and brain. Neurologic involvement, especially in adults, is rare but can include nonspecific symptoms such as a decreased consciousness, altered mental status, seizures, and hyperreflexia. Although HUS is often assumed to cause isolated involvement of small vessels, in this case report, a 52-year-old woman with a STEC-HUS-encephalopathy developed multiple craniocervical dissections during the course of her disease in the absence of any trauma or cardiovascular risk factors. This case thus could possibly indicate that Shiga toxin-mediated damages are not limited to the small vessels but can also affect larger vessels.
Source: Neurology
Institution: Medical University of Vienna
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4403207902