Abstract 13322: Association Between Allergic Diseases and Development of Kawasaki Disease Among Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. It is the leading cause of pediatric acquired heart disease in developed countries. Growing evidence points to the role of immunoregulatory abnormalities for its causation. Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that a history of allergic diseases is associated with the development of KD in children. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies was performed to ascertain the association between history of allergic diseases and KD. Major electronic databases were searched from inception through March 2020 using pre-defined index terms such as “allergic disease”, “Kawasaki disease” and “children”. Random effects model was used to derive pooled estimates of odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for qualitative assessment. This study was reported according to MOOSE (Meta-analyses Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology). Results: Of 854 articles identified, 8 studies were considered eligible. History of allergic diseases was significantly associated with the development of KD (OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.26-2.73). On subgroup analysis of case-control studies (n=6), allergic diseases remained significantly associated with KD (OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.10-2.12). However, subgroup analysis with allergic diseases limited to asthma (n=5) revealed no significant association with KD (OR 1.17; 95% CI 0.45-1.90). Qualitative assessment found minimal concerns for bias. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests a strong association between history of allergic diseases and development of Kawasaki disease among children.