Long-term consequences of Kawasaki disease among first-year junior high school students.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether height, weight, and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities differ at the age of 13 years between adolescents with and without Kawasaki disease (KD) (also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome).


METHODS
A population-based cohort study.


METHODS
School community and public health service.


METHODS
Data from the nationwide surveys of KD in Japan were linked with those of junior high school cardiac screening in Tochigi Prefecture between April 1, 1986, and June 30, 1998 (except data for 1988 and 1994). Using this database, students with KD and students without KD in the first year of junior high school were compared.


METHODS
Height, weight, and ECG abnormalities.


RESULTS
Eight hundred sixty students (486 adolescent boys and 374 adolescent girls) with KD and 308 729 students (158 193 adolescent boys and 150 536 adolescent girls) without KD were located. There was no difference in average height and weight between the students with and without KD (using the P values for a t test of the means). The proportion of abnormal ECG findings was 10% and 3% among those with and without KD, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Even at age 13 years, the proportion of abnormal ECG findings was about 3 times higher among adolescents with KD (using a chi(2) test of the difference in 2 binomial proportions).
Hirata
Shizuhiro
S
Department of Public Health, Jichi Medical School, Yakushiji 3311-1, Minamikawachi, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.
Nakamura
Yosikazu
Y
Matsumoto
Kozo
K
Yanagawa
Hiroshi
H
D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009017:Morbidity; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires