title: Incidence Rate and Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects of Kawasaki Disease in Children of Maghrebi Origin in the Province of Quebec, Canada, Compared to the Country of Origin.
abstract: The incidence of Kawasaki disease in Maghreb countries is apparently low, unlike those living in the province of Quebec, Canada. This retrospective study compared Maghrebi children living in Quebec to the countries of origin, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The annualized incidence rate in Quebec (18.49/year/100 000 children under 5 years of age) was 4 to 12 times higher than in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria (0.95, 4.52, and 3.15, respectively). The prevalence of incomplete diagnostic criteria was higher in Quebec at 39%, Morocco 43%, and Tunisia 39% compared to Algeria at 8%, with minimal delayed diagnosis (7%) only in Quebec compared to 30%, 35%, and 62%, respectively (P < .001). The rate of coronary aneurysms was comparable however (11% in Quebec vs 4%, 10%, and 25%, in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, respectively; P = .31). The higher incidence of Kawasaki disease in the Maghreb community in Quebec versus the countries of origin seems due to underdiagnosis, which represents a public health concern in those countries.
authors.affiliation: CHU Ste-Justine, University of Montreal, Montreal. Canada; Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Arbia Abir
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gorrab
authors.affiliation: CHU Ste-Justine, University of Montreal, Montreal. Canada.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Régional de Ben Arous, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Asma Abed
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spigelblatt
authors.affiliation: Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Rosie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scuccimarri
authors.affiliation: Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mrabet
authors.affiliation: CHU Ste-Justine, University of Montreal, Montreal. Canada.
authors.forename: Nagib
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dahdah
keywords: Environmental; North Africa; ethnic; immigration; population study