Abstract
BackgroundAlthough the epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease for Japan have been observed, recently, chronological and geographical observations of the number of patients and incidence rate of the disease have not been conducted using observation units smaller than the whole country.MethodsWe used the recent 5 nationwide surveys (the 15th to 19th) of Kawasaki disease in Japan, which covered patients for 10 years, i.e., between 1997 and 2006. The monthly number of patients by prefecture was calculated, and the number was corrected by the response rate of the target institutes of the prefecture. Chronological changes in the number of patients were observed by district. Geographical changes in the incidence rates were observed bimonthly by prefecture for the recent 6 years, from 2001 through 2006.ResultsOn the whole, the monthly number of patients increased gradually. For each year, the number was the highest in January and the lowest in October; it was relatively high during summer as well. Some differences existed among the districts with regard to the monthly observations. Bimonthly observations of the incidence rate by prefecture revealed the differences in the characteristics of the epidemics in different geographic areas.ConclusionThe chronological and geographical changes in the occurrence of Kawasaki disease in Japan for the recent 10 years suggested the involvement of one or more infectious agents in the occurrence of the disease.
Highlights
Kawasaki disease is a syndrome that affects mainly infants and toddlers, and it causes systemic vasculitis.[1,2] Even though the cumulative number of patients afflicted by Kawasaki disease amounts to more than 200 thousands since its prevalence in Japan in the 1960s,3 the etiology of this disease is still unknown
If Kawasaki disease is related to the presence of infectious agents, the incidence of this disease may show geographic and temporal clustering, similar to other infectious diseases
In Hokkaido, the peak incidence recorded in January, which was observed throughout Japan, was not marked before 2002
Summary
Kawasaki disease is a syndrome that affects mainly infants and toddlers, and it causes systemic vasculitis.[1,2] Even though the cumulative number of patients afflicted by Kawasaki disease amounts to more than 200 thousands since its prevalence in Japan in the 1960s,3 the etiology of this disease is still unknown. In this study, using data from the recent 5 nationwide surveys of the disease in Japan, we observed the monthly occurrence of this disease for 10 years by district, and bimonthly occurrence for 6 years by prefecture. The epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease for Japan have been observed, recently, chronological and geographical observations of the number of patients and incidence rate of the disease have not been conducted using observation units smaller than the whole country. Geographical changes in the incidence rates were observed bimonthly by prefecture for the recent 6 years, from 2001 through 2006. Conclusion: The chronological and geographical changes in the occurrence of Kawasaki disease in Japan for the recent 10 years suggested the involvement of one or more infectious agents in the occurrence of the disease
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