When steroids are added to the standard treatment, they can significantly reduce the possibility of developing heart damage in children with Kawasaki’s disease, as per a study in the October issue of Pediatrics.
It is important noting here that this finding address a knowledge gap as the current guidelines recommend standard treatment concerning the use of aspirin and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and the evidence of steroid treatment benefit is still lacking.
From News-Medical.Net:
Aronoff hopes that a multi-center study, currently underway, will provide further evidence of the benefits of steroid treatment for Kawasaki’s disease. Also needed is more evidence about the most effective types and doses of steroids.
Kawasaki’s disease, one of the leading causes of acquired heart disease in children, inflames the blood vessels leading to the heart. The cause of Kawasaki’s is unknown. Signs of the disease include fever lasting longer than 5 days, skin rash, red eyes, palms and foot soles and swollen lymph nodes. If not treated within five to ten days, it can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening, complications. Fortunately, Kawasaki’s is treatable and most children recover fully.
Stephen Aronoff, MD, lead author of the meta-analysis and Temple University School of Medicine professor and chair of pediatrics, said that this gap in knowledge was the prime reason why this study on closely studying the benefits of steroids was conducted.
Aronoff also said that a combination of steroids and aspirin and IVGB can considerably minimize the probability of inflammation development of the heart blood vessels by half.
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