J Korean Pediatr Soc.  2002 Jul;45(7):896-901.

Epidemiological Study of Kawasaki Disease in Kyung Nam Area

• Yang JS
• Cho EY
• Jung HS
• Hwang JY
• Lee DJ
• No ES
• Choi MB
• Park CH
• Youn HS
• Woo HO

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease in the Kyung Nam area and to evaluate whether the results of this epidemiological study could support infectious etiology.
METHODS
We sent a questionnaire to three training hospitals in the Kyung Nam area and retrospectively reviewed their medical records of Kawasaki disease from Jun. 1995 to Dec. 1999.
RESULTS
The total number of patients was 717 cases, with little differences of annual prevalence during the five years. In all cases, the monthly prevalence of Kawasaki disease was high in Apr. and Jul. At the eastern of Kyung Nam, the monthly prevalence was high in Apr. and Jul. in 1995 and 1996, Jul. in 1997, Apr. in 1998 and Apr. and Jul. in 1999. In the central area of Kyung Nam, the monthly prevalence was high in Apr. in 1995 and 1996, Apr. and Jul. in 1997 and Jul. in 1998 and 1999. In the western Kyung Nam, the monthly prevalence was high in Nov. in 1995, Aug. in 1996, Oct. in 1997, Dec. in 1998 and Nov. in 1999.
CONCLUSION
In the eastern and central areas of Kyung Nam, the monthly prevalence of Kawasaki disease was similarly high in Apr. and Jul. However, in the western district, the prevalence was high in late fall and winter. We could not prove the hypothesis that Kawasaki disease occurred with the spread of single infectious agent, but the a nnually similar prevalence in eastern and central Kyung Nam supported the infection theory for the etiology of the disease.

Keyword

Kawasaki disease; Epidemiology

MeSH Terms

Epidemiologic Studies*
Epidemiology
Humans
Medical Records
Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*
Prevalence
Surveys and Questionnaires
Retrospective Studies