Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of children with Kawasaki disease in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in childhood in the developed countries. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of children with KD in Turkey.

METHODS: The medical records of 24 patients treated for KD between January 1994 and June 2009 at Ankara University Medical School, Turkey were reviewed.

RESULTS: The male-to-female ratio was 1.4 : 1. The median age at diagnosis was 2 years (range: 6.5 months to 11 years). Conjunctivitis and changes in the lips and oral cavity were seen in 21/24 (87.5%), cervical lymphadenopathy 17/24 (70.8%), polymorphous rash 16/24 (66.7%) and peripheral changes in 12/24 (50%). Coronary artery abnormality (CAA) was observed in 8/24 (33.3%) cases. CAA was seen in both the complete and incomplete groups with similar frequency (31.3% vs. 37.5%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: KD must be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of infants with prolonged fever.