Kawasaki disease: a pathology survey in western Europe

There is an increasing awareness that Kawasaki disease does occur outside Japan, but reliable data regarding the incidence of the disease in western Europe are lacking. Such information may be important, not only providing insight into the incidence but also indicating whether or not the pathology is comparable to that reported from Japan. For these reasons a survey has been initiated among pediatric pathologists in western Europe with the use of a questionnaire. The results show that the experience with Kawasaki disease of pediatric pathologists in western Europe is extremely limited. Only 25 cases have been reported. One may infer from these data that the incidence of Kawasaki disease in western Europe is far below that in Japan. The pathology encountered appears to be the same as that reported from Japan and the United States. This finding in particular may be important for further epidemiological studies regarding etiology and pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease.