Plasma Exchange Treatment in Five Kawasaki Disease Patients Unresponsive to Intravenous Immunoglobulin

Abstract

The efficacy of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment for acute-stage Kawasaki disease patients has become widely recognized. However, in the case of refractory Kawasaki disease, alternative treatment should be considered to prevent coronary artery abnormality (CAA). Here, we present several cases of Kawasaki disease in children treated with plasma exchange (PE). We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 5 subjects who had been unresponsive to IVIG treatments and treated with PE consecutively. The fever subsided and the other clinical manifestations were improved after PE in all cases. In two cases, giant coronary artery aneurysms were detected on echocardiographic follow-up study. PE should be a method with promising efficacy and might be considered in refractory Kawasaki disease patients for whom other treatment options have failed.