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Kawasaki Disease Hospitalizations in a Predominantly African-American Population

Hurley Medical Center—Michigan State University

Rashed A. Hasan, MD

Hurley Medical Center—Michigan State University

Ahmed Eljamal, MD

Children’s Hospital of Michigan—Wayne State University

Basim Asmar, MD

Children’s Hospital of Michigan—Wayne State University

This is a descriptive study of the occurrence of Kawasaki disease (KD) in an urban population that was a majority of African Americans. Records of 189 children (mean age, 2.9 ± 2.2 years [range: 2 months to 11.1 years]) hospitalized for KD over 8 years (January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1999) were reviewed and data analyzed. One hundred thirty-six (72%) were African American (AA), 43 (23%) were white, and 9 (5%) children were "others." The annual frequency was 15 for AA and 7.7 for white per 100,000 5-year-old children. Coronary artery abnormalities (CAA) were reported in 21 (11%) children (18 [13.2%] of 136 AA, and 3 [4.7%] of 43 whites [p=0.095]). AA children with CAA were older than their white counterparts (26 to 24 vs. 5 to 2.8 months, p=0.03). There was a higher occurrence in winter and spring (110 cases [58%] vs. 79 cases [42%]) compared to summer and fall. KD occurrence was positively associated with average monthly snowfall (r=0.35, p=0.004) and inversely associated with average monthly temperature (r= - 0.2, p=0.048). African-American children were more likely to be hospitalized for KD compared to white children. The association of KD with temperature and precipitation suggest that it is influenced by environmental factors.

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