Epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease in Taiwan, 2003-2006.
OBJECTIVE
Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children worldwide. This study characterizes the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease in Taiwan between 2003 and 2006.


METHODS
Using Taiwan's 2003-2006 national health insurance claims, we investigated the epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease (ICD-9-CM code 446.1) and coronary artery aneurysm formation (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 414.11) and compared the incidences of these diseases with those occurring between 1996 and 2002 in Taiwan and those reported by other countries.


RESULTS
During our 4-year study period, 3877 children and adolescents <20 years of age were hospitalized for Kawasaki disease. Ninety percent of these children were <5 years of age, and the male/female ratio was 1.62:1. The annual incidence of Kawasaki disease was 153 in 100000 children <1 year of age, 111 in children 1 year of age, 58 in children 2 years of age, 30 in children 3 years of age, 19 in children 4 years of age, and 5.2 in children 5 to 9 years of age. The overall incidence was 69 cases per 100000 for children <5 years of age. Kawasaki disease recurred in 1.5% of all cases. Kawasaki disease occurred most frequently in the summer and least frequently in the winter. Coronary artery aneurysm occurred in 7.2% (279 of 3877) of all Kawasaki disease cases.


CONCLUSIONS
The overall incidence of Kawasaki disease was 69 in 100000 children <5 years of age between 2003 and 2006 in Taiwan, comparable with the incidence of 66 in 100000 children between 1996 and 2002. Taiwan has the third highest incidence of Kawasaki disease in the world, after Japan and Korea. In Taiwan, it occurs more frequently during the summer.
Huang
Wen-Chan
WC
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, No. 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan.
Huang
Li-Min
LM
Chang
I-Shou
IS
Chang
Luan-Yin
LY
Chiang
Bor-Luen
BL
Chen
Pei-Jer
PJ
Wu
Mei-Hwan
MH
Lue
Hung-Chi
HC
Lee
Chun-Yun
CY
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003323:Coronary Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012008:Recurrence; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D013624:Taiwan