About HUS

From the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of HUS and other foodborne illness outbreaks.

Chapter 5

HUS and Kidney Transplantation

Kidney transplants result in better lifestyle, longer survival, and better health for HUS patients.

The optimal treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) after HUS remains kidney transplantation—it results in improved quality of life, longer survival, and better health than does dialysis. However, a kidney transplant is not a “cure.” It rarely lasts for a lifetime and several transplants may be necessary. If the patient has been followed and monitored during the course of progressive kidney failure, and if a related living donor (LRD) is available, the transplant can be timed to occur just as the patient is entering ESKD (i.e. a “pre-emptive” transplant). If not, the patient begins dialysis and is placed on the cadaver waiting list for a donor kidney. Children receive special consideration for kidney transplant and do not have to wait as long as adults.