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Prevention Measures for COVID-19 and Changes in Kawasaki Disease Incidence
Nobuyuki Katsumata1,2, Daisuke Harama1,3, Takako Toda1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Yamanashi.
Insights
Preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may reduce Kawasaki disease incidence. This study found a significant drop in Kawasaki disease cases during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting a link to infectious triggers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Kawasaki disease is a pediatric illness suspected to be triggered by prior infections.
- Preventive measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been linked to reduced transmission of other infectious diseases.
- This suggests a potential decrease in Kawasaki disease incidence due to COVID-19 prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated prevention measures on the incidence of Kawasaki disease.
- To evaluate epidemiological trends of Kawasaki disease in relation to infectious disease patterns during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study analyzed Kawasaki disease patient registration data from 11 pediatric facilities in Yamanashi Prefecture.
- Data included 595 cases diagnosed before the pandemic (Jan 2015–Feb 2020) and 38 cases during the pandemic (Mar–Nov 2020).
- Infectious disease incidence was assessed using data from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases' Infectious Disease Weekly Report.
Main Results:
- Infectious disease epidemics were generally low during the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic (Mar–Nov 2020).
- Kawasaki disease incidence decreased by 46.3% during the pandemic period compared to the previous five-year average (38 cases vs. 82.0 average).
- None of the identified Kawasaki disease cases were linked to COVID-19, confirmed by medical history and negative severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide epidemiological evidence supporting the hypothesis that Kawasaki disease is triggered by major infectious diseases in children.
- The reduction in Kawasaki disease cases during the pandemic suggests a correlation between infectious disease prevalence and disease occurrence.
Background:
Kawasaki disease is suspected to be triggered by previous infection. The prevention measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have reportedly reduced transmission of certain infectious diseases. Under these circumstances, the prevention measures for COVID-19 may reduce the incidence of Kawasaki disease.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective study using registration datasets of patients with Kawasaki disease who were diagnosed in all 11 inpatient pediatric facilities in Yamanashi Prefecture. The eligible cases were 595 cases that were diagnosed before the COVID-19 pandemic (from January 2015 through February 2020) and 38 cases that were diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic (from March through November 2020). Incidence of several infectious disease were evaluated using data from the Infectious Disease Weekly Report conducted by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
Results:
Epidemics of various infectious diseases generally remained at low levels during the first 9 months (March through November 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the incidence of COVID-19 was 50-80 times lower than the incidence in European countries and the United States. The total number of 38 cases with Kawasaki disease for the 9 months during the COVID-19 pandemic was 46.3% (-3.5 standard deviations [SDs] of the average [82.0; SD, 12.7 cases] for the corresponding 9 months of the previous 5 years. None of the 38 cases was determined to be triggered by COVID-19 based on their medical histories and negative results of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing at admission.
Conclusion:
These observations provide a new epidemiological evidence for the notion that Kawasaki disease is triggered by major infectious diseases in children.
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