title: Late diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is associated with haptoglobin phenotype.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute febrile illness characterized by multiple clinical and biochemical features of inflammation and the most common complications of coronary artery abnormality (CAA). Haptoglobin (Hp) is an acute-phase protein whose phenotype is known to be involved in coronary artery diseases. In this paper, we report the investigation of the association of Hp phenotype with the formation of CAA in KD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-seven consecutive patients with clinically diagnosed KD were admitted. Sera were taken before therapy of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) plus aspirin, and levels of serum proteins were measured by a rate immunonephelometer. The echocardiographic criteria for coronary artery abnormality were evaluated during acute or subacute stages. Hp phenotyping was performed by Western immunoblotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Duration of fever at diagnosis of KD was significantly different between patients with Hp 2-2 (6.4 +/- 1.2 days, n = 25) and with Hp1 allele (Hp 2-1 plus Hp 1-1; 8.8 +/- 3.5 days, n = 22). In contrast, serum levels of Hp between KD patients with Hp2-2 and with Hp1 allele (297 +/- 121 mg dL-1 vs. 330 +/- 101 mg dL-1, respectively) was not significantly different. On the other hand, no patients with Hp 2-2 (0/25) were recognized as having KD in subacute stage. However, 5 out of 20 patients with Hp 2-1 were recognized in subacute stage, and their incidence of CAA was 80.0% (4/5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with Hp 2-1 have patterns of delayed or incomplete presentation of clinical symptoms. Therefore, the late diagnosis of KD is associated with haptoglobin phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Pig Research Institute Taiwan, and Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Y T
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chiou
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003330:Coronary Vessel Anomalies / Q000235:genetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D006242:Haptoglobins