Erythema at BCG Inoculation Site in Kawasaki Disease Patients

INTRODUCTION: Kawasaki disease is an acute, self-limiting childhood systemic vasculitis with unknown etiology. Because there is no diagnostic test for Kawasaki disease, the diagnosis is based on clinical criteria. An important clinical sign that is not included in the classical clinical criteria for Kawasaki disease is a reaction at the Bacille Calmette-Guérin inoculation site that are present in about 30-50% of Kawasaki disease patients. THE AIM: of this review was to highlight the usefulness of the inflammation at the Bacille Calmette-Guérin inoculation site for early diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, we conducted a literature review on Medline in PubMed area, Google scholar, Magiran and Scientific Information Database using the search terms “Kawasaki disease, Erythema, BCG, inoculation site, children, cardiac complications, coronary artery lesion, aneurysm, incomplete Kawasaki in 2013. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 15 articles had been found. Erythema at the Bacille Calmette-Guérin inoculation site was found in 49.87% of Kawasaki disease patients. Coronary artery abnormalities were found in 10.3% of cases. According to this review, BCGitis is more prevalent than cervical lymphadenopathy and rash and it can be a useful criterion in the diagnosis of incomplete Kawasaki disease in cases not fulfills the classic criteria of at least four of the five findings.