Adding corticosteroids to standard intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin treatment for children with Kawasaki disease judged to be at higher risk of developing blood vessel complications made initial treatment more successful and prevented these complications, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

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“Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are important for children with Kawasaki disease to prevent the development of cardiac complications,” said lead author Ryusuke Ae, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of public health at the Center for Community Medicine at Jichi Medical University in Shimotsuke, Japan. The study was conducted during 2018-2019 when Dr. Ae was a guest researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is a collaboration between the CDC and Jichi Medical University.

Kawasaki disease, which occurs most often in children younger than 5 years old, causes inflammation of the blood vessels, particularly the coronary arteries that supply fresh blood to the heart muscle. In developed countries, Kawasaki disease is a leading cause of heart disease in children born without heart defects  and the cause is unknown. The criteria for diagnosis is when a child has a fever for five days or longer (unless interrupted by treatment) along with multiple other defining symptoms that can include a rash over the abdomen, swollen and red hands and feet, bloodshot eyes, swollen lymph glands, and redness and swelling of the mouth, lips, throat and tongue. Kawasaki disease occurs in children of all races and ethnicities; however, it is more common among Asian children regardless of where they live.