Impact of Kawasaki disease on juvenile idiopathic arthritis in real-world patients: A population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Recent research has demonstrated the commonality of several biological markers between Kawasaki disease (KD) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), including interleukin-1β and -6. Therefore, in this cohort study, we assessed whether KD increases the risk of JIA. METHODS: This study enrolled 7009 patients with and 56 072 individuals without KD in the period 2010–2018 from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. On the basis of sex, age, and comorbidities, we executed propensity score matching at the ratio 1:8. The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for JIA was determined through multiple Cox regression. Stratified analysis and sensitivity tests were also employed. RESULTS: When adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, the JIA risk was noted to be 2.02-fold greater in children with KD than it was in those without (aHR: 2.02, 95% confidence interval: 1.12–3.67, p = 0.0205). The sensitivity test and subgroup analysis obtained consistent findings in the different sex and comorbidity subgroups. CONCLUSION: Children’s risk of JIA is higher if they have KD. Pediatricians should consider the possibility of JIA in this population. More investigations are necessary to identify the pathological mechanisms that link JIA and KD.