Outbreak of Escherichia coli O104:H4 haemolytic uraemic syndrome in France: outcome with eculizumab.

Background: An outbreak of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) due to Shiga toxin-secreting Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 from contaminated fenugreek sprouts occurred in June 2011 near Bordeaux, France. In the context of this outbreak, all patients were treated with the monoclonal anti-C5 antibody, eculizumab.

Methods: The diagnosis of HUS was made based on haemolytic anaemia, low platelet count and acute kidney injury.

Gastric variceal bleeding uncovering a rare association of CREST syndrome, primary biliary cirrhosis, nodular regenerative hyperplasia and pulmonary hypertension.

A 73-year-old woman was admitted after the first upper gastric tract haemorrhage due to gastric variceal bleeding. A CREST syndrome associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome, cryoglobulinaemia and complicated with severe pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed. Liver histology found precirrhotic lesions of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and nodular regenerative hyperplasia (NRH).

[Development of a myasthenia crisis during interferon treatment for chronic C hepatitis].

If myasthenia gravis is not a usual complication of interferon therapy, several cases have been described with the use of theses molecules in the treatment of hepatitis C, cancer or multiple sclerosis. We report a new case of serious myasthenia gravis during interferon alpha and ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C.