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Published on: April 15, 2021
Systemic Artery Aneurysms and Kawasaki Disease
Qu-Ming Zhao1,2, Chen Chu1,2, Lin Wu1
1Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China; and.
Insights
Systemic artery aneurysms (SAAs) occurred in 14.2% of Kawasaki disease (KD) patients screened. Most SAAs showed significant regression within six months, indicating a favorable short-term outcome.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Vascular Medicine
Background:
- Coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are a known Kawasaki disease (KD) complication.
- Data on systemic artery aneurysms (SAAs) in KD are limited in the current era.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence and early outcomes of SAAs in KD patients.
- To analyze SAA development in relation to CAAs.
Main Methods:
- Screened 162 KD patients at risk for SAAs using magnetic resonance angiography or peripheral angiography.
- Analyzed incidence and early outcomes of SAAs from April 2016 to March 2019.
Main Results:
- SAAs detected in 14.2% of screened KD patients (23/162) at 1 month post-onset.
- 2% of all KD patients (23/1148) had SAAs; median age at onset was 5 months.
- 129 SAAs found in 17 arteries; common sites include axillary, common iliac, and brachial arteries. High regression rate (92.9%) observed within 6 months.
Conclusions:
- SAAs in KD patients have a notable incidence.
- SAAs demonstrate a high rate of regression during short-term follow-up.
Background:
Coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs) are a well-known complication of Kawasaki disease (KD), but there are no data on incidence or outcomes of systemic artery aneurysms (SAAs) in the current era.
Methods:
From April 1, 2016, to March 31, 2019, we screened for SAAs in 162 patients with KD at risk for SAAs with magnetic resonance angiography or peripheral angiography and analyzed incidence and early outcomes of SAAs.
Results:
Twenty-three patients had SAAs, demonstrating an incidence of 14.2% (23 of 162) in patients who were screened at 1 month after onset. The proportion of patients with SAAs was estimated to be 2% (23 of 1148) of all patients with KD. The median age at onset of KD with SAAs was 5 months. All patients with SAAs had CAAs, with z scores >8. Of patients with giant CAAs, 38.6% (17 of 44) had SAAs. A total of 129 SAAs occurred in 17 different named arteries. The most common sites for SAAs were the axillary (18.6%), common iliac (12.4%), and brachial (11.6%) arteries. During a median follow-up time of 6 months, 92.9% (79 of 85) of SAAs had some degree of regression, with 80% (68 of 85) of SAAs returning to normal. The overall regression rate was higher for medium to large SAAs than for medium to giant CAAs.
Conclusions:
Although the incidence of SAAs may not be as dramatically reduced as we expected compared with previous data, SAAs have a high regression rate during short-term follow-up.
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