Case Report: COVID-19 unmasks factor H mutation-driven hemolytic uremic syndrome in a previously undiagnosed septuagenarian kidney transplant recipient
Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) after kidney transplantation presents a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy (CM-TMA), caused by dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway, is frequently associated with predisposing variants in complement-regulatory genes but typically requires additional triggers for clinical manifestation. Ravulizumab, a long-acting terminal complement inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in native kidney disease, but data in transplant recipients remain limited. We present a 75-year-old kidney transplant recipient in whom previously unrecognized CM-TMA was triggered by COVID-19 infection and successfully treated with ravulizumab. This case underscores the importance of considering CM-TMA in the differential diagnosis of posttransplant TMA and in patients with end-stage kidney disease of uncertain origin, demonstrating that age alone should not preclude diagnostic consideration, and supports ravulizumab as an effective therapeutic option in this setting.
Authors
- Alexander H. Kirsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6711-7834)
- Marion J. Pollheimer
- Alexander R. Rosenkranz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4838-2944)
- K. Eller
- Max Schüller
- Michael Fink
Institutions
- Medical University of Graz (AT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Medicine
- Published
- 2026-03-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2026.1702864
- Primary Topic
- Complement system in diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00