ADULT CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE SECONDARY TO KAWASAKI-DISEASE IN CHILDHOOD

Kawasaki disease is a febrile disease of unknown etiology characterized by mucocutaneous involvement and occurring in infants and young children, which was first reported by Kawasaki in 1967. 1 Coronary artery lesions, which develop as complications, are an important factor in determining the prognosis of this disease. Kawasaki disease manifests itself at a comparatively early stage, and coronary aneurysms or myocardial disorders develop in about 20% of patients, with 50% of the aneurysms regressing spontaneously over a 1- to 2-year period. Thus, ischemic heart disease is ultimately detected in < 3% of all patients.2-4 Because follow-up times have been short, the long-term prognosis in these cases of residual cardiac lesions, especially coronary artery disease in the acute stage, is unclear. In recent years, there have been sporadic reports of cases of sequelae of Kawasaki disease in adults, especially young adults with ischemic heart disease.5-7 The aim of the present study was to clarify the clinical course and diagnostic imaging findings of patients with residual lesions as sequelae of Kawasaki disease. © 1992.