Role of salicylates in Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis predominantly affecting young children. The disease is associated with cardiac complications such as cardiac aneurysm and thrombosis in a significant proportion of cases. Salicylates are commonly used in KD because of their antiinflammatory activity. In general, the salicylate use is limited in other childhood conditions because of potential risk of complications like Reye’s syndrome. This systematic review attempted to evaluate the available evidence on the effectiveness of salicylates in treating and preventing long-term cardiac consequences of KD in children.