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Review
. 2020 Feb;11(1):9-14.
doi: 10.14740/cr993. Epub 2020 Jan 26.

Kawasaki Disease: Global Burden and Genetic Background

Karim Elakabawi  1   2   3 , Jing Lin  4   3 , Fuyong Jiao  5 , Ning Guo  1 , Zuyi Yuan  1
Affiliations
Review

Kawasaki Disease: Global Burden and Genetic Background

Karim Elakabawi et al. Cardiol Res. 2020 Feb.

Abstract

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a childhood vasculitides associated with serious coronary artery lesions. It is the most common cause of pediatric acquired heart disease in developed countries, and is increasingly reported from many rapidly industrializing developing countries. The incidence varies widely among different nations and is highest in North-East Asian countries, where almost 1 in 100 children in Japan having the disease by age of 5, where the lowest incidence reported in sub-Saharan Africa. The etiology of KD is still uncertain; interaction between a genetic predisposition and several environmental and immunological factors has been hypothesized. Several susceptibility genes were identified to be associated with the development of KD and increased risk of coronary artery lesions. Gene-gene associations and alteration of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation are also found to play key roles in the pathogenesis and prognosis of KD. This article will focus on the global epidemiological patterns of KD, and the currently known genetic predisposition.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Genetics; Kawasaki disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The global incidence of Kawasaki disease per 100,000 children under 5 years old [2].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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