Current Recommendations for the Pharmacologic Therapy in Kawasaki Syndrome and Management of Its Cardiovascular Complications
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European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences 2007; 11: 301-308 Current recommendations for the pharmacologic therapy in Kawasaki syndrome and management of its cardiovascular complications G. DE ROSA*, M. PARDEO*, D. RIGANTE *Section of Pediatric Cardiology; Department of Pediatric Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – Rome (Italy) Abstract. – Kawasaki syndrome is a po- nign childhood disease: several years later, fatali- tentially life-threatening disease of early child- ties occurred in Japan among children with KS hood that untreated holds a risk of severe coro- nary involvement. Its diagnosis is made via a list younger than 2 years when they had apparently of clinical signs because etiology and patho- recovered. Post-mortem examinations revealed physiology are still unknown and no specific complete thrombotic occlusion of coronary artery laboratory tool is available. Appropriate therapy aneurysms with myocardial infarction as the im- with intravenous immunoglobulins and aspirin mediate cause of death. This syndrome has now reduces the incidence of coronary abnormalities surpassed rheumatic fever as the leading cause of to less than 5%. Immunoglobulins have been acquired heart disease in the developed countries shown to be highly effective in reducing disease 1 symptoms or their severity and chiefly in reduc- among children younger than 5 years . Although ing the rate of coronary artery aneurysm devel- its etiology is largely unknown, epidemiological opment. Aspirin is firstly used in high dose for findings suggest that genetic factors play a role in its anti-inflammatory properties and then in low the pathogenesis of KS: although KS has been re- dose for its anti-thrombotic effects. Timely diag- ported all over the world, it is overexpressed nosis and precociously administered treatment among Asian populations, especially in children are two crucial points in the definition of prog- nosis for Kawasaki syndrome. In this review of Japanese ancestry. KS results 10 times more heart complications are discussed and thera- prevalent in Japan, if compared with other na- peutic options stratified according to both tions, especially for infants with less than 2 years. severity of coronary involvement and grading of The proportions of KS Japanese patients with car- cardiovascular risk. diac sequels (such as dilation or stenosis of coro- nary arteries, myocardial infarction and valvular Key Words: lesions) 1 month or more after onset were ana- Kawasaki syndrome, Cardiovascular complications. lyzed using nationwide survey protocols: the prevalence of heart abnormalities was particularly high in males, infants younger than 1 year and children older than 5 years of age2. In the natural history of the disease three phases occur: we can Introduction distinguish an acute phase (in the first 2 weeks of illness), a subacute phase (including the 3th and 4th Kawasaki syndrome (KS) or muco-cutaneous- week of illness) and a phase of convalescence lymph node syndrome is an acute systemic vas- (lasting from the 5th to the 8th week since the on- culitis of unknown etiology that involves the set). The original guidelines for the diagnosis of walls of medium- and small-sized muscular arter- KS were created by a committee that was appoint- ies throughout the body in the pediatric age, ed by the Japanese Ministry of Health in 1970. In which was firstly described by Tomisaku the acute phase KS usually starts with more than Kawasaki in 1967. At that time, he reported 50 5 days of high fever followed by at least 4 of 5 children from 1961-1967 who presented with a main clinical features: non-exudative conjunctival distinctive clinical illness characterized by fever injection, polymorphous skin rash, reddening/fis- and skin rash, which was then thought to be a be- suring of lips and oral mucosa, abnormalities in- Corresponding Author: Donato Rigante, MD; e-mail: [email protected] 301 G. De Rosa, M. Pardeo, D. Rigante volving extremities of limbs and perineum and Table I. Criteria for the diagnosis of Kawasaki syndrome. cervical lymphadenitis (Table I). In the absence of specific diagnostic tests, pathognomonic features Fever persisting at least for 5 days (or more) plus at or evidence-based diagnostic algorithms, KS di- least 4 of the following 5 clinical main signs: agnosis remains basically clinical3. Laboratory Bilateral bulbar conjunctival injection without exudate findings are frequently helpful in confirming the Polymorphous skin rash correct diagnostic suggestion: inflammatory Changes in lips (reddened, dry or cracked) and oral markers as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), cavity (strawberry tongue, diffuse oral and C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid-A pharyngeal hyperemia) (SAA) are markedly elevated; neutrophil leuko- Changes in the extremities and in the perineum (erythema of palms or soles, indurative edema of cytosis (with toxic granulations and left shift), hands or feet, desquamation of perineal skin) mild-to-moderate normochromic anemia (with Acute cervical lymph node enlargement (with a haemoglobin levels < 2 SD for age), hypoalbu- diameter superior than 15 mm) minemia (< 3.5 g/dl), hyponatremia (< 135 mEq/L), elevated serum transaminases and sterile pyuria are typical of KS. In the subacute phase the vast majority of patients displays skin desqua- thrombosis. High-dose aspirin is administered to mation starting in the subungual regions of the reduce fever and KS inflammatory signs. The ef- fingers and spreading to palms and soles in com- ficacy of intravenous immunoglobulins is dose- bination with the increase of platelet count, some- depending: a randomized-controlled trial has times exceeding 1.000.000/mm3. In some patients demonstrated that a single infusion of 2 g/kg in- arthralgias or arthritides can appear in the suba- fused in a time of 10 hours has a higher efficacy cute phase. Incomplete and atypical forms of KS than a 4-day-infusion of 400 mg/kg/day5. There (with other vasculitic features as abdominal pain, is no evidence that immunoglobulin treatment on pneumonia, seizures, meningitis, urethritis, he- day 4 of fever or earlier has greater efficacy in patitis and gallbladder distention, parotitis, preventing cardiac complications than treatment uveitis, etc.) are more common in young infants on days 5 to 9. The mechanism of action of intra- with less than 1 year of age4. Characteristics sug- venous immunoglobulins is unknown, though it gesting disease other than KS include exudative might include neutralization of hypothetic infec- conjunctivitis, exudative pharyngitis, bullous, tious agents, inhibition of endothelial cell func- vesicular or exfoliating rash and generalized tions, non-specific anti-inflammatory effects by adenopathy. There is a great number of pathologic the down-regulation of proinflammatory cy- conditions mimicking KS which require to be con- tokines as tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and sidered attentively in the differential diagnosis as interferon-gamma, blockage of Fc-receptors on staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, toxic shock macrophages, suppression of T and B cells and syndrome, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, scarlet blockage of complement cascade. Aspirin in- fever, measles, Epstein-Barr virus infection, Cyto- hibits prostaglandin synthesis and has been the megalovirus infection, tick-borne diseases, juve- first drug used in children with KS. High doses nile rheumatoid arthritis, reaction to drugs and are used only during the acute inflammatory mercury hypersensitivity (acrodynia). phase and vary across countries: 30-50 Therapeutical Approach in Kawasaki Syndrome A combination of a single dose of intravenous Table II. Standard treatment for Kawasaki syndrome. immunoglobulins (2 grams/kg of body weight in- fused over a period of 10-12 hours) and aspirin at Intravenous immunoglobulins: 2 g/kg of body weight (infused over a period of 10-12 hours) high doses (30 to 100 mg/kg/day in four divided Aspirin: 30-100 mg/kg orally, daily divided into 4 doses) are recommended when KS diagnosis is doses, until the normalization of inflammatory made during the first 10 days of illness. KS ther- parameters apy is schematized in the Table II. Treatment Subsequent antiplatelet treatment with aspirin: 3-5 with intravenous immunoglobulins is directed at mg/kg orally, once daily for 6-8 weeks (starting in reducing the inflammation in the vessel walls in- the subacute phase of the disease) or continued indefinitely if coronary abnormalities are volved by the disease, mostly in the coronary observed artery walls, and at preventing coronary artery 302 Pharmacologic therapy in Kawasaki syndrome and its cardiovascular complications mg/kg/day in the United Kingdom and 80-100 brachial arteries, with the exception of central mg/kg/day in Japan and in the United States6-8. nervous system arteries. The major sequels of Low-dose aspirin in the subacute phase inhibits KS are related to the cardiovascular district platelet aggregation and is aimed at the reduction which might be interested in all its structures: of the thrombotic risk which is higher in patients pericardium, myocardium, endocardium and showing coronary artery dilations. However, the above all coronary arteries. Myocardial disease occurrence of coronary abnormalities is not in- during the acute phase is commonly reported: fluenced by the association intravenous im- inflammation has been documented in 50-70% munoglobulins-aspirin, if compared with intra- of autoptic descriptions14-16. Its clinical find- venous immunoglobulins alone9.