[Kawasaki disease: Diagnosis and treatment]

Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. In spite of the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IGIV), the absence of a specific diagnostic test and due to there being IGIV-refractory patients, Kawasaki disease is a major cause of coronary artery abnormalities (CAA).

To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cases of Kawasaki disease, to evaluate the efficacy of treatments used and the CAA observed.

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease between January 2002 and December 2008 in a tertiary public Hospital in the South of Madrid. The diagnosis of Kawasaki disease was based on the clinical criteria proposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2004.

Twenty three children were identified. Median age was 26 months (range: 2 months-10 years). Nineteen children (82%) were younger than 5 years old. Fever and changes in the lips and oral cavity were present in all cases. Twenty-one patients (91%) received IGIV, all of them before the 10th day of disease. One child (4.7%) required the administration of more than one dose of IGIV, because persistence of fever. CAA was recorded in three patients [13.0%, (95% CI: 1-26%)], including a four month-old boy. All patients with CAA were treated with the recommended dose of IGIV, 2g/kg, between the 5th and 8th day of disease.

Kawasaki disease was more common in children less than five years old. We observed a high rate of CAA in children with Kawasaki disease in spite of appropriate and timely treatment.