How Children with Kawasaki Disease Take Acetylsalicylic Acid Mini-Tablets at Home for the Prescribed Period

Fuka Serizawa1, Iori Taki1, Taigi Yamazaki1

  • 1Department of Clinical Research and Development, Graduate School of Pharmacy, Showa Medical University, Tokyo 157-8577, Japan.

PubMed

Insights

Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) mini-tablets are well-tolerated and safely administered at home for pediatric Kawasaki disease (KD) patients. Most children completed their full ASA doses with minimal swallowing issues, confirming mini-tablets as a viable pediatric dosage form.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pharmacology
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Rheumatology

Background:

  • Mini-tablets are increasingly preferred for pediatric dosing due to high patient acceptance.
  • Showa University Hospital has prescribed acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) mini-tablets for pediatric Kawasaki disease (KD) since 2022.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the real-world, at-home administration of ASA mini-tablets in pediatric KD patients.
  • To assess medication adherence, tolerability, and safety of ASA mini-tablets in a home setting.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 14 pediatric KD patients on ASA mini-tablet therapy (Nov 2022 - Oct 2024).
  • Evaluation of administration completeness, mood changes, administration patterns, beverages used, and swallowing events.
  • Assessment of serious adverse events and coronary artery aneurysms via medical records.

Main Results:

  • Mean ASA mini-tablet prescription duration was 60.9 days; no serious adverse events or coronary aneurysms were reported.
  • 5 swallowing-related events occurred among 679 medication records; >90% of patients showed no mood changes.
  • The 'All at once' administration pattern was used in 64% of cases; younger children (<3 years) used jelly, older children used water.

Conclusions:

  • ASA mini-tablets demonstrate safe at-home administration in pediatric KD patients with minimal swallowing difficulties.
  • Full dose completion was achieved regardless of tablet number, age, administration method, or beverage.
  • ASA mini-tablets represent an acceptable and effective dosage form for ASA in pediatric KD management.

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