Background:

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis of small and medium vessels, which occurs primarily in children; it manifests itself as a febrile syndrome coupled with vasculitis data and can cause coronary artery abnormalities in 25% of untreated patients. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical behavior and to identify risk factors for cardiovascular complications in pediatric patients with KD, in a second level hospital in Northwestern Mexico.

Methods:

Under a case series design, we studied pediatric patients with diagnosis of KD. We measured clinical variables, laboratory values and the presence of cardiac complications; the probability of risk was determined with odds ratio (OR) and the association with chi squared test.

Results:

12 patients were included, and the female gender predominated; the mean age of presentation of KD was 2 years. The clinical presentation was complete in 100 % of the cases and patients also presented atypical manifestations. 50% of the patients studied had cardiovascular complications, the most common of which was coronary disease (33%). The variables male gender, age under 2 years and anemia reported OR of 5.5 and 10 to present cardiovascular complications.

Conclusions:

Cardiovascular complications of KD are frequent (more than 30%). Male gender, age under 2 years and anemia increase the probability of risk for the presence of cardiovascular complications.