title: Recent Advances in Kawasaki Disease.
abstract: Kawasaki disease (KD) is characterized with acute systemic vasculitis, occurs predominantly in children between 6 months to 5 years of age. Patients with this disease recover well and the disease is self-limited in most cases. Since it can lead to devastating cardiovascular complications, KD needs special attention. Recent reports show steady increases in the prevalence of KD in both Japan and Korea. However, specific pathogens have yet to be found. Recent advances in research on KD include searches for genetic susceptibility related to KD and research on immunopathogenesis based on innate and acquired immunity. Also, search for etiopathogenesis and treatment of KD has been actively sought after using animal models. In this paper, the recent progress of research on KD was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Disease and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Severance Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu Yeun
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Disease and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Severance Children's Hospital, Seoul, Korea. dskim6634@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Dong Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Kawasaki disease; animal models; genetics; pathogenesis