Postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome in United States children: clinical spectrum and predictors of in-hospital death.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical spectrum of postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (D(+)HUS) hospitalizations and sought predictors of in-hospital death to help identify children at risk of poor outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: We assessed clinical variables collected through population-based surveillance of D(+)HUS in children <18 years old hospitalized in 10 states during 1997-2012 as predictors of in-hospital death by using tree modeling. RESULTS: We identified 770 cases. Of children with information available, 56.5% (430 of 761) required dialysis, 92.6% (698 of 754) required a transfusion, and 2.9% (22 of 770) died; few had a persistent dialysis requirement (52 [7.3%] of 716) at discharge. The tree model partitioned children into 5 groups on the basis of 3 predictors (highest leukocyte count and lowest hematocrit value during the 7 days before to 3 days after the diagnosis of hemolytic uremic syndrome, and presence of respiratory tract infection [RTI] within 3 weeks before diagnosis). Patients with greater leukocyte or hematocrit values or a recent RTI had a greater probability of in-hospital death. The largest group identified (n = 533) had none of these factors and had the lowest odds of death. Many children with RTI had recent antibiotic treatment for nondiarrheal indications. CONCLUSION: Most children with D(+)HUS have good hospitalization outcomes. Our findings support previous reports of increased leukocyte count and hematocrit as predictors of death. Recent RTI could be an additional predictor, or a marker of other factors such as antibiotic exposure, that may warrant further study.

Incidence of Cronobacter spp. infections, United States, 2003-2009.

During 2003-2009, we identified 544 cases of Cronobacter spp. infection from 6 US states. The highest percentage of invasive infections occurred among children <5 years of age; urine isolates predominated among adults. Rates of invasive infections among infants approximate earlier estimates. Overall incidence of 0.66 cases/100,000 population was higher than anticipated.

Strategies for surveillance of pediatric hemolytic uremic syndrome: Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), 2000-2007.

BACKGROUND: Postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is the most common cause of acute kidney failure among US children. The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) conducts population-based surveillance of pediatric HUS to measure the incidence of disease and to validate surveillance trends in associated Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157 infection. METHODS: We report the incidence of pediatric HUS, which is defined as HUS in children <18 years. We compare the results from provider-based surveillance and hospital discharge data review and examine the impact of different case definitions on the findings of the surveillance system. RESULTS: During 2000-2007, 627 pediatric HUS cases were reported. Fifty-two percent of cases were classified as confirmed (diarrhea, anemia, microangiopathic changes, low platelet count, and acute renal impairment). The average annual crude incidence rate for all reported cases of pediatric HUS was 0.78 per 100,000 children <18 years. Regardless of the case definition used, the year-to-year pattern of incidence appeared similar. More cases were captured by provider-based surveillance (76%) than by hospital discharge data review (68%); only 49% were identified by both methods. CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of pediatric HUS was affected by key characteristics of the surveillance system, including the method of ascertainment and the case definitions. However, year-to-year patterns were similar for all methods examined, suggesting that several approaches to HUS surveillance can be used to track trends.