Intravenous gamma-globulin therapy improves hypercytokinemia in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease

Abstract

Proinflammatory cytokinemia and subsequent endothelial cell activation are the major pathological features of Kawasaki disease (KD), which progresses to systemic vasculitis and results in coronary artery lesions (CALs). We studied the serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines and of the soluble receptors before and after intravenous gamma-globulin (IVGG) treatment to investigate whether the anti-inflammatory effect of IVGG was due to the reduction of increased serum levels of their cytokines and soluble receptors. In the acute phase of KD, the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-5, as well as those of IL-6, IL-10, and interferon-γ, were markedly higher than those in controls. The level of tumor necrosis factor-α was higher than that in the control, but the difference was slight and not significant. The soluble IL-6 receptor levels were lower than those of the controls. After IVGG administration, the increased levels of these cytokines and soluble receptors were abruptly down-regulated to within their normal ranges. The patients enrolled in the present study were all effectively treated with IVGG, without a steroid, and improved without any residual CALs. Overall, IVGG administration to patients with KD was found to be effective in reducing inflammatory processes and in preventing CALs, and was followed by reduction of the serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokines and their receptors.