Hemolytic-uremic Syndrome - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Clinically, HUS can be very hard to distinguish from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. The laboratory features are almost identical, and not every case of HUS is preceded by diarrhea. HUS is characterized by the triad of hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure. The only distinguishing feature is that in TTP, fever and neurological symptoms are often present, but this is not always the case. A pericardial friction rub can also sometimes be heard on auscultation (uremic pericarditis). The two conditions are sometimes treated as a single entity called TTP/HUS. However, some dispute this grouping, and TTP is now known to be caused by an acquired defect in the protein ADAMTS13.