Unexpectedly high incidence of Kawasaki Disease in a Canadian Atlantic Province- an 11-year retrospective descriptive study.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Alkanhal A; Department of Cardiac Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.; Pediatric Cardiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom.; Saunders J; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Altammar F; Department of Pediatrics, New Jahra Hospital and Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization, Al Jahra, Kuwait.; Huber AM; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Lynk A; Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; MacLeod A; Nova Scotia Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Ortiz-Alvarez O; Nova Scotia Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Adams M; Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre and Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.; Ramsey S; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Stringer E; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Warren A; Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.; Lang B; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health and Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. bianca.lang@dal.ca.; Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health Centre, PO Box 9700, 5850-5980 University Ave., Halifax, NS, B3K 6R8, Canada. bianca.lang@dal.ca.
- Source
- Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101248897 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1546-0096 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 15460096 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Pediatr Rheumatol Online J Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
Background: Kawasaki Disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries with a variable incidence worldwide. Previous studies reported an unexpectedly high incidence of KD in the Canadian Atlantic Provinces. The goals of our study were to validate this finding in the province of Nova Scotia and to carefully review patients' characteristics and disease outcomes.
Methods: This was a retrospective review of all children < 16 years old from Nova Scotia diagnosed with KD between 2007-2018. Cases were identified using a combination of administrative and clinical databases. Clinical information was collected retrospectively by health record review using a standardized form.
Results: Between 2007-2018, 220 patients were diagnosed with KD; 61.4% and 23.2% met the criteria for complete and incomplete disease, respectively. The annual incidence was 29.6 per 100,000 children < 5 years. The male to female ratio was 1.3:1 and the median age was 3.6 years. All patients diagnosed with KD in the acute phase received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG); 23 (12%) were refractory to the first dose. Coronary artery aneurysms were found in 13 (6%) patients and one patient died with multiple giant aneurysms.
Conclusion: We have confirmed an incidence of KD in our population which is higher than that reported in Europe and other regions of North America despite our small Asian population. The comprehensive method to capture patients may have contributed to the detection of the higher incidence. The role of local environmental and genetic factors also deserves further study. Increased attention to regional differences in the epidemiology of KD may improve our understanding of this important childhood vasculitis.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)