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Published on: July 23, 2012

The association between Kawasaki disease and allergic diseases, from infancy to school age

Yi-Jing Tsai1, Ching-Heng Lin, Lin-Shien Fu

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan.

Allergy and Asthma Proceedings
|September 4, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (KD) show a higher risk of developing allergic diseases like allergic rhinitis and asthma. This increased allergic susceptibility begins in infancy and continues through school age.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Epidemiology of Childhood Diseases
  • Immune Phenotyping

Background:

  • Kawasaki disease (KD) is a leading cause of acquired heart disease in young children.
  • Epidemiological studies suggest an atopic trend following KD, supported by elevated IgE and IL-4 levels in patients.
  • Limited research exists on the early-life allergic associations in children with KD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between Kawasaki disease and the development of allergic diseases from infancy to school age.
  • To analyze the prevalence and temporal sequence of allergic manifestations in children with and without KD.
  • To understand the long-term allergic tendencies in individuals with a history of KD.

Main Methods:

  • A matched case-control study utilizing Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.
  • Inclusion of patients diagnosed with KD born between 1997-2004.
  • A 1:4 matching of controls based on zip code, gender, and age, with analysis of allergic diseases including atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma, and urticaria.

Main Results:

  • Children with KD exhibited higher rates of allergic manifestations within the first five years of life compared to controls.
  • By 2010 (ages 6-13), KD patients showed significantly higher odds of allergic rhinitis (OR 1.30) and asthma (OR 1.16).
  • The 'atopic march' progression was similar in both groups, but KD children demonstrated persistent allergic susceptibility until school age.

Conclusions:

  • Children with Kawasaki disease possess a heightened susceptibility to allergic diseases, evident from their first year of life.
  • This increased allergic tendency persists into school age, indicating a distinct immune phenotype.
  • Further research is warranted to identify the specific determinants underlying this observed immune profile in KD patients.

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