Aim: To describe the patient characteristics, management and cardiovascular sequelae of Kawasaki disease (KD) in patients taking part in a multidisciplinary follow-up in the Emma Children's Hospital during the period January 1999-June 2010.
Design: Retrospective, observational study.
Methods: We included 392 patients who were diagnosed with complete or incomplete KD. Clinical and outpatient statuses were used to collect clinical data.
Results: The median age at onset of the disease was 3.2 years (range: 0.1-16.4). The male-to-female ratio was 1.6 : 1. Complete KD was diagnosed in 83.9% of patients. Patients with incomplete KD were younger than those with complete KD: 2.2 versus 3.4 years (both SD: 3.0; p < 0.01). 357 patients (91.1%) were treated with intravenous immunoglobulins; 65 patients (16.6%) received a second intravenous dose. Coronary artery aneurysms were diagnosed in 83 patients (21.2%). Male gender, age < 1 year, incomplete presentation and late start of treatment (> 10 days after start of fever) were shown to be independent risk factors for developing aneurysms. These abnormalities normalized in 50 of the 83 patients. 2 patients died of the disease within a year. 5 patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting during the follow-up period.
Conclusion: Kawasaki disease is a rare form of vasculitis seen in children, in which aneurysms of the coronary artery can develop. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility of KD in cases of persistent inexplicable fever, especially in young children, even in the absence of complete clinical disease. A timely start to treatment reduces the risk of developing coronary artery aneurysms.