The Clinical Characteristics and Coronary Complication of Infantile Kawasaki Disease

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We evaluated Kawasaki disease(KD) in children in order to evaluate the clinical characteristics and coronary complication of infantile Kawasaki disease. METHODS: A total of 226 medical records of children with KD admitted to The Catholic University of Korea, St. Mary's Hospital, from 1994 to 2003 were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of lymphadenopathy was statistically lower in infantile Kawasaki disease than in Kawasaki disease of children older than one year. The incidence of atypical Kawasaki disease in infant(32%) was greater than that of total patients(24%), but there was no statistically significant difference in two groups. The incidence of coronary complication in atypical Kawasaki disease in children younger than one year was 50%(6/12), which was greater than that of coronary complication in typical KD of children older than one year. CONCLUSION: Diagnostic difficulties in infantile Kawasaki disease are due to high incidence of atypical characteristics of Kawasaki disease. Yet, early treatment with IVGV and aspirin is necessary because of its high incidence of coronary complication.