Changes in Profiles of Kawasaki Disease Noted over Time in Suzhou, China

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to explore the changes in epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics of Kawasaki disease (KD) over a 12-year period in this area. Methods: The medical records of KD patients hospitalized in the Children’s Hospital of Soochow University from January 2006 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. To elucidate the changes more clearly in these years, we divided all patients into three groups according to the time of admission, 5-year time intervals apart. Results: We found the number of KD had increased in recent years, although the age compositions had some variances. The male-to-female ratio peaked in patients aged 6–11 months and then decreased with ages. Incidence rates of clinical characteristics were almost the same except for cervical lymphadenopathy. Significant differences were noted in percentage of neutrophils, albumin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and platelets. However, only ESR and platelets were significantly different after adjusting the days of disease onset. A trend showing a shorter fever duration before intravenous immunoglobulin treatment was also noted. Conclusions: The number of KD was increasing annually. Our results were indicative of a possibly changed etiology of the disease. However, further large-scale long-term surveillance is warranted.