Is there myocardial involvement in children with long-term follow-up for Kawasaki disease? A study based on two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the possibility of subclinical myocardial dysfunction detected by strain echocardiography in the late period of children with Kawasaki disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study enrolled 30 patients with Kawasaki disease with a follow-up period of at least 12 months and 30 healthy age- and gender-matched children. During the follow-up period, standard echocardiography, pulsed and tissue Doppler, and strain echocardiography were recorded for both groups. RESULTS: The mean age at the time of the diagnosis was 2.6±2.3 years (2 months–11 years). The mean follow-up period after the diagnosis was 3.55±2.20 years. Conventional echocardiography, M mode, pulsed and tissue Doppler values, and myocard performance index did not reveal significant differences. Left ventricle strain and strain rate parameters obtained by apical four-, three-, and two-chamber views did not show statistical differences between patients and controls. There was a positive correlation between the duration of follow-up and global four- and three-chamber longitudinal strain and global longitudinal strain values (r=0.465, p=0.010; r=0.414, p=0.023; r=0.492, p=0.006, respectively), whereas global radial strain showed negative correlation (r=−0.517, p=0.003). CONCLUSION: The analysis of systolic strain and strain rate did not detect a subclinical myocardial dysfunction in the long-term follow-up of Kawasaki disease. However, strain values showed variability with the follow-up periods, which indicates that Kawasaki disease might cause left ventricular dysfunction in the later phases. Therefore, a follow-up of children with a diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is of capital importance.