All issues > Volume 51(5); 2008

Review Article

Korean J Pediatr. 2008;51(5):457-461. Published online May 15, 2008.

Update on treatment in acute stage of Kawasaki disease

Ji Whan JW Han¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence Ji Whan JW Han ,Email: han59@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract

Kawasaki disease (KD) was first described by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki in his 1975 study, published in Pediatrics. Its pathogenesis is still not clearly understood. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important to preventing concomitant coronary artery complications. Most KD patients respond well to the standard treatment of aspirin and intravenous immunoglobulin; however, some of them are refractory to the standard treatment, and so adjuvant therapies with corticosteroids and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) antibody are necessary. In this article, the author reviews and summarizes the most recent literature on the treatment of refractory KD.

Keywords :Refractory Kawasaki disease, Adjuvant therapy