[Cardiac involvement in Kawasaki disease. Our experience].
BACKGROUND
Kawasaki disease is an acute vasculitis of unknown cause that affects children under 5 years of age and in 20-25% of cases can cause coronary artery anomalies. Early therapy with intravenous gamma globulin and aspirin greatly decreases the risk of developing coronary anomalies, but sometimes coronary disease develops even in timely diagnosed and treated cases.


METHODS
Personal experience in 41 children with Kawasaki disease is reported. Age was within three months and 5 years. All patients had electrocardiography and echocardiography at diagnosis, after 1 week, at the third, sixth, and eighth week, after six months and after 1 year from diagnosis. Echocardiographic cardiac anomalies were found only in 5 cases (12.19%). Average age in these cases was lower.


RESULTS
In these cases coronary involvement developed in spite of early diagnosis and therapy (intravenous gamma globulin 400 mg/kg die and aspirin) electrocardiographic findings were not relevant or specific to coronary arteries anomaly. In three cases coronary anomalies regressed during the first year from diagnosis, the other two are still in the first year of follow-up. Nine children had a long term follow-up (6 to 9 years) and they were all normal except one with renal arteritis and another with slight mitral incompetence.


CONCLUSIONS
The authors underline the role of clinical and instrumental follow-up that should be extended to all patients affected by Kawasaki disease with coronary anomalies even if early regressed.
Sciacca
P
P
U. O. di Cardiologia Pediatrica, Università degli Studi, Catania, Italy. sciapie@hotmail.com
Falsaperla
R
R
Barone
P
P
Tornambene
G
G
Mattia
C
C
Marletta
M
M
Betta
P
P
Distefano
G
G
D000367:Age Factors; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003323:Coronary Aneurysm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004176:Dipyridamole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D004176:Dipyridamole; D001241:Aspirin