4.6 Percent of Ecoli HUS Cases End in Death
By Fred Pritzker
A new study published this week concludes that young children and females have an increased risk of developing life-threatening HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, once infected with E. coli O157:H7.
The study by 11 microbiologists from a range of state and federal public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health, also found that with or without E. coli HUS, elderly patients had the highest proportion of deaths associated with infection from Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157:H7.
As a rule of thumb, scientists have estimated in the past that five to 10 percent of people who contract E. coli O157:H7 develop HUS, a disease that attacks the body’s red blood cells in ways that can result in various health problems that are potentially fatal.
The study led by Dr. L. Hannah Gould of CDC’s Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch reviewed 3,464 E. coli O157:H7 infections recorded from 2000 to 2006. Overall, 218 of the patients, or 6.3 percent, developed HUS, the leading cause of kidney failure in children.
The highest proportion of E. coli HUS cases — 15.3 percent — occurred in children less than five years old. In all cases, death occurred .6 percent of the time when a person was infected with E. coli 0157:H7. In all HUS cases, death occurred 4.6 percent of the time.
With or without HUS, victims older than 60 had the highest rate of death due to E. coli O157:H7 infection. The study said 12 of 390, or 3.1 percent, of patients older than 60 died. In the same population, five of 15, or 33 percent, of patients died after their infection developed into HUS, which can lead to hemorrhaging, brain damage, spinal cord injury and heart problems.
Among children less than 5 years old, death occurred in 3 percent of those who developed E. coli HUS. In young children who are infected, but don’t develop HUS, the death rate was .3 percent.
E. coli O157:H7 infections are preventable. They occur from ingesting the bacteria, mostly from contaminated ground beef, leafy green vegetables, raw milk, raw cider, cantaloupe and other fresh produce. National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys has years of experience representing victims of these foodborne E. coli HUS cases, including E. coli wrongful death lawsuits. To receive a free case consultation, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free), or complete an online contact and information form. If we agree to accept your case, we don’t get paid unless you win compensation for the injuries and suffering in your family.
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