04 Kawasaki disease.pmd

1Department of Paediatrics, Boali Hospital, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Islamic Republic of Iran (Correspondence to M.J. Saffar: [email protected]). Received: 05/06/03; accepted: 25/02/04 ABSTRACT We conducted a retrospective review of all cases of Kawasaki disease admitted to the major referral centres in Sari, East Mazandaran from 1 November 1997 to 30 October 2002. Of 29 probable cases, 25 were confirmed, giving an average annual incidence rate of 7.3 per 100 000 in children 0–5 years. The mean age of all cases was 38 months (range: 3.5–80 months). There was a male predominance. The mean time between the onset of illness and diagnosis was 8.2 ± 3.1 days. Five of the 25 patients had cardiovascular abnormalities before treatment. All patients were treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and 22 (88%) responded to a single dose of treatment and high doses of acetylsalicylic acid; 2 patients needed a second dose of IVIG, and 1 patient required a third. Complete recovery was noted in all patients except for 1, who is under follow-up and treatment.