Clinical symptoms and laboratory findings of Kawasaki disease in children

Abstract Background: Kawasaki disease is an acute self-limited vasculitis of childhood characterized by fever, bilateral nonexudative conjunctivitis, erythema of lips and oral mucosa, changes in extremities, rash and cervical lymphadenopathy. Coronary artery aneurysm or ectasia develops in approximately 15% to 25% of untreated children and may lead to ischemic heart disease or sudden death. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of clinical symptoms, laboratory findings and epidemiology of Kawasaki disease in children hospitalized at Quds children hospital, Qazvin, Iran. Methods: Between March 1994 and March 2005, a total of 29 consecutive Kawasaki patients were enrolled and studied retrospectively. Findings: Of 29 patients, 20 were males and 9 females. The male/female ratio was 1:0.45. The majority of patients (65.3%) were younger than 5 years old. Seasonal peak was found to be in winter (37.9%) and spring (34.5%). All patients had fever lasting from 8 to 21 days. The most common clinical features were oral mucosal changes (96.6%), changes in extremities (79.3%), conjunctivitis (75.8%), cervical lymphadenopathy (58.6%) and rash (58.6%). Echocardiography was abnormal in 14%. Conclusion: Kawasaki disease is present in our country and diagnostic work-up in cases with prolonged fever and unresponsive to antibiotics is strongly recommended, as the clinical manifestations of Kawasaki disease are in common with many other diseases.