Combined IVIG Treatment Effective to Treat Kawasaki Disease

Researchers from Kitasato University School of Medicine in Japan found that combining intravenous methylprednisolone pulse and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to treat patients with Kawasaki disease appears safe and effective. The researchers looked at data on 122 patients with Kawasaki disease who were randomly assigned to either the combined treatment or IVIG alone. Fever abated more quickly in 19 of 22 patients in the combined group compared with six of 26 patients in the IVIG group. In addition, coronary artery dimension z scores of 2.5 or more at one month were higher in the IVIG group than in the combined treatment group. Adverse events of the combination therapy included hypothermia, bradycardia and hypertension in some patients; however, these events were transient and not serious in either group. “Approximately 15 percent to 20 percent of patients with [Kawasaki disease] are not responsive to initial IVIG treatment, and these patients are at a higher risk for coronary artery lesions,” the researchers wrote. “It is important to identify these patients because they might benefit from more aggressive initial treatment.”