prognosis

Last edited 03/2022 and last reviewed 03/2022

Prognosis for children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease (KD) is primarily based upon extent and severity of coronary artery involvement at diagnosis and at follow-up (1)

  • case-fatality rate in the United States and Japan is less than 0.2%, and the principal cause of death is myocardial infarction resulting from coronary artery occlusion
  • AHA 2017 guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, and management of KD provide a detailed risk classification scheme
    • classification system is divided into five risk categories utilizing both Z scores and absolute luminal dimensions
    • lowest risk level is 1, indicating no involvement of the coronary arteries (Z score< 2)
      • these patients are screened with echocardiogram during the acute illness, and then again at 6-8 weeks after onset
        • appear to have a similar risk profile to patients without a diagnosis of KD

Reference:

  1. Rife E, Gedalia A. Kawasaki Disease: an Update. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2020;22(10):75. Published 2020 Sep 13. doi:10.1007/s11926-020-00941-4