Sudden death in a 21-year-old man caused by thrombosed coronary aneurysm - Late sequelae or a very late onset of Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease (KD; mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome) is an infantile febrile illness of unknown origin that occurs in worldwide epidemics. The main clinical features of the disease, such as fever, mucositis, cervical lymphoadenopathy and skin rash, associated with coronary aneurysms or arteritis are diagnostic. Late sequelae of coronary arteritis are very rare in the second decade of life; we describe the case of a 21-year-old male who died suddenly. The autopsy revealed a large thrombotic coronary aneurysm, coronary arteritis and myocarditis, supporting the diagnosis of a late fatal sequela of KD. The hypothesis of a very late onset of the disease is also considered and discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.