[Soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-I levels in sera of patients with Kawasaki disease]

We investigated whether serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 antigens increases during acute Kawasaki disease (KD). We also compared levels in acute KD with those in anaphylactoid purpura (AP) and in measles. Serum soluble ICAM-1 levels were measured by a double determinant immunoassay using two monoclonal antibodies in the FAST system. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured by a specific and sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassay. Patients with KD, but not with AP or measles, had increased ICAM-1 levels in serum during the acute stage. In addition, during the acute stage, KD patients with coronary-artery lesions (CAL) were found to have increased ICAM-1 levels in serum compared to patients without CAL. We found a positive correlation between serum levels of ICAM-1 and levels of TNF-alpha during acute KD. Our results suggest that the serum level of soluble ICAM-1 is an important immunologic parameter for determining the severity of vascular damage during acute KD.