Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, Atypical, Childhood

Hemolytic uremic syndrome, atypical, childhood is a disease that causes abnormal blood clots to form in small blood vessels in the kidneys. These clots can cause serious medical problems if they restrict or block blood flow, including hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and kidney failure. It is often caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Genetic factors involve genes that code for proteins that help control the complement system (part of your body’s immune system). Environmental factors include viral or bacterial infections, certain medications (such as anticancer drugs), chronic diseases, cancers, and organ transplantation.  Most cases are sporadic. Less than 20 percent of all cases have been reported to run in families. When the disorder is familial, it can have an autosomal dominant or an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance.

Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome differs from a more common condition called typical hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The two disorders have different causes and symptoms.