Incidence and clinical features of incomplete Kawasaki disease

During the nine-year period from 1983 to 1991, a total of 242 patients (142 males and 100 females) presenting with Kawasaki disease were seen at one hospital. Among them, 25 (10%) patients demonstrated incomplete Kawasaki disease and 17 of these 25 (68%) lacked two of the six principal symptoms of Kawasaki disease, with the most frequently missing symptoms being cervical lymphadenopathy and polymorphous exanthema. The typical laboratory features of Kawasaki disease, such as elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis, anemia, positive C-reactive protein and thrombocytosis were also seen in the incomplete cases. None of the 25 patients underwent iv gamma-globulin therapy while in 1 (4%), transient dilatation of the coronary artery was recognized. Incomplete Kawasaki disease may therefore be characterized by a less frequent association of rash, cervical lymphadenopathy and coronary involvement.