Functional and Structural Alterations of Coronary Arteries Late After Kawasaki Disease and the Risk of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Adults

Abstract

It has been 48 years since Kawasaki first reported Kawasaki disease (KD), in 1967. Among the 270,000 patients with a history of KD as of 2010, more than 110,000 have reached adulthood. Recent reports indicate that an increasing number of adults with a history of KD are developing acute coronary syndrome. Thus, the risk and management of acute coronary syndrome are important concerns. This chapter describes vessel wall function and morphology of coronary arteries long after KD and the characteristics of acute coronary syndrome in adults with a history of KD.