Reaction of the BCG Scar in the Acute Phase of Kawasaki Disease in Mexican Children.

Abstract

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited systemic vasculitis that primarily affects children <5 years old. There is no specific diagnostic test. A reaction at the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) inoculation site has been reported as a common finding in patients with KD where BCG vaccination is mandatory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of reactivation of the BCG in Mexican children diagnosed with KD. A retrospective study of all patients diagnosed with KD from August 1, 1995, to August 31, 2015, at our Institution was performed. The clinical profile, laboratory results, treatment used and coronary artery abnormalities in the BCG reactive and the BCG nonreactive groups were analyzed and compared. We included 399 patients with KD. Ninety-seven (24.3%) had BCG reaction at the inoculation site. The BCG(+) group was younger than the BCG(-) group (P < 0.000). There were 18 (18.55%) incomplete cases in the BCG(+) group compared with 65 (21.52%) in the BCG(-) group without statistical significance. The BCG+ group developed coronary artery aneurysms in 37 cases and the BCG(-) group developed coronary artery aneurysms in 111 cases without statistical significance. Multivariate analysis showed that younger age at diagnosis was the only variable associated with a reaction at the BCG inoculation site in patients with KD. In Mexico, a country with a National BCG Vaccination Program and a low incidence of KD, reaction at the BCG inoculation site could be a useful diagnostic sign of KD.