PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 1, 1995 and February 29, 1996, a multicentric prospective study was conducted in France in order to analyze the cardiovascular complications in Kawasaki syndrome, and to describe the echocardiographic features and the outcome of coronary lesions. Forty-nine cases of Kawasaki syndrome were observed. RESULTS: There were 32 boys and 17 girls (sex ratio: 1:9). The age at diagnosis was under one year in ten cases (20.4%), between one and five years in 27 cases (55.1%) and more than five years in 12 cases (24.5%). The complete diagnostic criteria were present in 42 cases (85.1%). Forty-five children (91.8%) were given intravenous immunoglobulin treatment but only 20 (40.8%) received this treatment within the seven days following the onset of the illness. Cardiovascular complications consisted of: pericardial effusion in 12 cases (24.5%), coronary dilation in seven cases (14.3%), coronary aneurysms of moderate size in seven cases (14.3%,) with hypokinetic left ventricle in two cases. No death was reported. All patients with coronary dilation and four patients with coronary aneurysms had a normal size of coronary arteries at echocardiography within the nine months of the follow-up. Among the three other patients, after a follow-up of two years, one still has a small coronary aneurysm and two have a normal size of coronary arteries. CONCLUSION: Despite a delayed administration of immunoglobulin therapy in the majority of patients in this study, outcome of coronary lesions was favorable and severe cardiac complications were rare in the acute phase of the Kawasaki syndrome.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 1, 1995 and February 29, 1996, a multicentric prospective study was conducted in France in order to analyze the cardiovascular complications in Kawasaki syndrome, and to describe the echocardiographic features and the outcome of coronary lesions. Forty-nine cases of Kawasaki syndrome were observed. RESULTS: There were 32 boys and 17 girls (sex ratio: 1:9). The age at diagnosis was under one year in ten cases (20.4%), between one and five years in 27 cases (55.1%) and more than five years in 12 cases (24.5%). The complete diagnostic criteria were present in 42 cases (85.1%). Forty-five children (91.8%) were given intravenous immunoglobulin treatment but only 20 (40.8%) received this treatment within the seven days following the onset of the illness. Cardiovascular complications consisted of: pericardial effusion in 12 cases (24.5%), coronary dilation in seven cases (14.3%), coronary aneurysms of moderate size in seven cases (14.3%,) with hypokinetic left ventricle in two cases. No death was reported. All patients with coronary dilation and four patients with coronary aneurysms had a normal size of coronary arteries at echocardiography within the nine months of the follow-up. Among the three other patients, after a follow-up of two years, one still has a small coronary aneurysm and two have a normal size of coronary arteries. CONCLUSION: Despite a delayed administration of immunoglobulin therapy in the majority of patients in this study, outcome of coronary lesions was favorable and severe cardiac complications were rare in the acute phase of the Kawasaki syndrome.
Authors: E Grunebaum; M Blank; S Cohen; A Afek; J Kopolovic; P L Meroni; P Youinou; Y Shoenfeld Journal: Clin Exp Immunol Date: 2002-11 Impact factor: 4.330