Open AccessKawasaki disease in siblings in close temporal proximity to each other—what are the implications?
Author(s) -
Aaqib Zaffar Banday,
Dipasri Bhattacharya,
Pandiarajan Vignesh,
Surjit Singh
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
clinical rheumatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.835
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1434-9949
pISSN - 0770-3198
DOI - 10.1007/s10067-020-05328-5
Subject(s) - kawasaki disease , etiology , medicine , sibling , vasculitis , disease , pediatrics , rheumatology , immunology , pathology , developmental psychology , psychology , artery
Kawasaki disease (KD) is the commonest medium vessel vasculitis in children. The etiology of KD remains an enigma despite extensive research. Infections are considered to be one of the triggers for KD, especially in genetically susceptible hosts. KD occurring within a short time interval among siblings is an important clinical observation supporting this hypothesis. In addition, siblings of children with KD are at a higher risk of developing the disease as compared with other children. Screening for KD in febrile siblings, therefore, seems prudent. This would help initiate timely therapy and prevent complications. We briefly review 16 English language reports of KD in siblings diagnosed within 1 month of each other to highlight its etiological and therapeutic implications. Key Points • KD should be suspected in febrile children who have a sibling recently diagnosed with KD. • Etiological studies should also focus on siblings who develop KD in close temporal proximity.