First Report on the Lipid Profile Late after Kawasaki Disease in Iranian Children

BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about the possibility of a predisposition of Kawasaki disease (KD) to abnormal lipid profile after an acute phase of disease, which can predispose them to premature atherosclerosis later in life. We determined the lipid profile of children late after KD, and compared it with controls. METHODS: This historical cohort was conducted on 32 subjects: 16 children with history of uncomplicated KD (age 11.8 ± 3.3 years, interval from the initial episode 7.1 years), and 16 healthy age-matched of their sibling or cousins. Fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) levels were compared between groups. In addition, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) were measured and compared. RESULTS: Six out of 16 KD patients and 7 out of 16 controls had abnormal lipid values. No significant difference was found in mean values of systolic blood pressures, diastolic blood pressures, BMI, TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C between cases and controls. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that although Iranian KD children probably had no different lipid profile compared with controls, but due to finding dyslipidemia in more than one-third of KD subjects, we suggest that periodic control of lipid values in these patients is of crucial importance.