• Online Features  This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on Web of Science (17)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

KUMUDCHANDRA J. SHETH, MB, MRCP; JOAN COX GILL, MD; HEINZ E. LEICHTER, MD
Department of Pediatrics Milwaukee Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund Research Center Medical College of Wisconsin 8701 Watertown Plank Rd Milwaukee, WI 53226

Am J Dis Child. 1990;144(3):268-270.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Sir.—The classic form of hemolyticuremic syndrome (HUS) follows a prodrome of bloody diarrhea due to verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli infection.¹ Verotoxin damages endothelial cells² and releases factor VIII, von Willebrand factor (vWF) antigen, and large multimers of vWF.³ These large vWF multimers, in the presence of a platelet agglutinating factor, may facilitate platelet aggregation, resulting in microthrombi and thrombocytopenia. A platelet agglutinating factor has been reported in HUS⁴ and can be inhibited by IgG obtained from adults only.^4,5 Anecdotal reports suggest a beneficial effect of intravenous infusions of human gamma globulins (IVGG) in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.⁶ Because the inciting factors and clinical manifestations of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and HUS are similar, it is likely that both represent a spectrum of disease with a common mechanism⁷ and both might improve with IVGG therapy.

In our preliminary study, eight consecutively treated children (three boys, five girls; . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes

CiteULike    Connotea    Delicious    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?