Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Kawasaki Disease in Mazandaran

Kawasaki is an acute childhood vasculitis of unknown cause that if left untreated can cause coronary aneurysms in 25% of cases. The disease is reported as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological and clinical features of Kawasaki disease in northern Iran.

In this descriptive-analytic review study, all registered cases of Kawasaki disease in Mazandaran province between 2007 and 2019 were investigated. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, periodical tests, risk factors, disease burden, complications, and follow-up information were collected. Data analysis was done applying descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and logistic regression.

The data of 136 children with Kawasaki disease were assessed. Clinical symptoms were found to be significantly different between children with complete and incomplete Kawasaki disease (P<0.001). Most children with complete and incomplete Kawasaki disease had heart disease (63.2% and 75.5%, respectively), and coronary artery disease (52.6% and 58.2%, respectively) but no significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of cardiovascular involvement (P>0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that fever for more than 5 days is a predictor of coronary artery involvement (P= 0.001).

The study showed that fever for more than 5 days is a risk factor for heart and coronary artery involvement as one of the complications leading to death in these children. Therefore, accurate control of fever and heart examinations are important in children with symptoms of