Changes in Profiles of Kawasaki Disease Noted over Time in Suzhou, China

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to explore the changes in epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics of Kawasaki disease (KD) over a 12-year period in this area. Methods: The medical records of KD patients hospitalized in the Children’s Hospital of Soochow University from January 2006 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. To elucidate the changes more clearly in these years, we divided all patients into three groups according to the time of admission, 5-year time intervals apart. Results: We found the number of KD had increased in recent years, although the age compositions had some variances. The male-to-female ratio peaked in patients aged 6–11 months and then decreased with ages. Incidence rates of clinical characteristics were almost the same except for cervical lymphadenopathy. Significant differences were noted in percentage of neutrophils, albumin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and platelets. However, only ESR and platelets were significantly different after adjusting the days of disease onset. A trend showing a shorter fever duration before intravenous immunoglobulin treatment was also noted. Conclusions: The number of KD was increasing annually. Our results were indicative of a possibly changed etiology of the disease. However, further large-scale long-term surveillance is warranted.

Bioinformatics identification of hub genes and signaling pathways regulated by intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in acute Kawasaki disease

“…A 12-year clinical study also confirmed that neutrophils were significantly increased in the acute phase of KD (42). Following IVIG treatment, neutrophils were frequently significantly decreased (42). Data on changes in neutrophils were consistent with these reports (41,42).…”

“…Andreozzi et al (41) indicated that neutrophils were significantly increased in patients with acute-phase KD, since neutrophils in the reserve pool of the bone marrow were released into the peripheral circulation. A 12-year clinical study also confirmed that neutrophils were significantly increased in the acute phase of KD (42). Following IVIG treatment, neutrophils were frequently significantly decreased (42).…”

Long-term Incidence of Kawasaki Disease in a North American Community: A Population-Based Study

“…2. Sun et al similarly described a recent increase in incidence of KD among patients 1-5 years old in China in 2017 [23]. The annual incidence rates found in this study for all ages and < 5 years were 9.84 and 21.37 per 100,000 person-years, respectively.…”

Characteristics and Indications of Kawasaki Disease Among Infants Under 6 Months

“…However, our study partly revealed the demographic characteristics in this area. We had previously described an increasing number of KD patients in this area (17), with no focus on infantile KD. Here when we divided all 194 infantile KD into small groups according to calendar years, we found that although there was a stable increase of all infantile KD, the proportion of iKD seemed to be decreasing, which was inconsistent with the overall trend of KD as we reported (17).…”

“…We had previously described an increasing number of KD patients in this area (17), with no focus on infantile KD. Here when we divided all 194 infantile KD into small groups according to calendar years, we found that although there was a stable increase of all infantile KD, the proportion of iKD seemed to be decreasing, which was inconsistent with the overall trend of KD as we reported (17). As the etiology and mechanisms of the disease were not fully understood, the divergences might be related to the pathogenesis in infants whose immune system was not well-developed.…”