jcm-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Research Progress in Kawasaki Disease: Epidemiology, Treatment and Cardiovascular Outcomes

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Pediatrics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2026 | Viewed by 545

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
Interests: Kawasaki disease; pediatric cardiology aortic valve stenosis; congenital heart disease; neonatology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis of unknown etiology that predominantly affects young children and remains the leading cause of acquired heart disease in childhood in developed countries. It is widely hypothesized to result from an abnormal immune response to an infectious trigger in genetically susceptible individuals, though the causative pathogenesis has yet to be identified. Treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has significantly reduced the incidence of coronary artery aneurysms and improved long-term outcomes. Nevertheless, critical questions remain. However, the pathomechanisms, which drive coronary artery involvement, particularly in IVIG-resistant patients, remain poorly understood. There is a pressing need for improved risk stratification tools and biomarkers to improve predict treatment response and long-term prognosis. Additionally, the long-term cardiovascular risk in patients with and without overt coronary involvement remains incompletely understood.

In this Special Issue, we invite original research and reviews that advance understanding of KD pathogenesis, immune mechanisms, treatment strategies, and long-term outcomes. Studies exploring novel therapeutics, imaging modalities, and registry data are especially welcome, aiming to drive forward precision medicine in KD care.

Dr. Andre Jakob
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Kawasaki disease
  • immune pathogenesis
  • immunomodulatory treatment
  • coronary artery pathology
  • cardiovascular outcomes

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 1818 KB  
Article
Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Aneurysm in a Caucasian Population Cohort: Evaluating the Agreement Between Japanese Criteria and Different Z Score Formulas
by Belén Pastor-Villaescusa, Guido Mandilaras, Julia Weißer, Joseph Pattathu, Nikolaus A. Haas and André Jakob
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(18), 6581; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14186581 - 18 Sep 2025
Viewed by 398
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Evaluating coronary artery abnormalities (CAAs) in Kawasaki disease (KD) is essential for treatment decisions and long-term management and prognosis. Accurate diagnosis is challenging due to differing criteria across guidelines. This study aimed to assess the variability in CAA prevalence using Japanese [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Evaluating coronary artery abnormalities (CAAs) in Kawasaki disease (KD) is essential for treatment decisions and long-term management and prognosis. Accurate diagnosis is challenging due to differing criteria across guidelines. This study aimed to assess the variability in CAA prevalence using Japanese Ministry of Health (JMH) criteria and Z score formulas and identify the formula pair with the highest CAA diagnostic agreement. Methods: Echocardiographic data from 309 patients with acute KD were collected. CAA prevalence was evaluated using JMH criteria and Z score formulas of Kobayashi, de Zorzi, Kurotobi, McCrindle, Olivieri and Dallaire. Prevalence differences were analyzed using McNemar’s t-tests, Z score values with paired samples t-test, and agreement between Z score formula pairs with Cohen’s Kappa (κ) coefficients and Bland–Altman plots. Results: The CAA prevalence varied significantly across definitions. For the right CA, prevalence was lower by JMH criteria than by Z scores (32.7% vs. 37.2–39.8%). For the left main CA, JMH (47.6%) and Kobayashi (44.8%) showed higher prevalence compared to other formulas (25.8–42.9%). Variability was greater at higher Z score values (>5 mm, medium/large aneurysm). Overall, the Kobayashi–Dallaire and McCrindle–Dallaire pairs showed the highest agreement (κ = 0.745–0.831 and 0.569–0.870, respectively); however, the McCrindle–Dallaire reached only moderate agreement for the left main CA (κ = 0.569). Conclusions: The Kobayashi and Dallaire formulas appear most suitable for evaluating CAA in predominantly Caucasian populations. Larger validation studies are warranted to refine diagnostic criteria and optimize global KD care. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop