Sunday, December 23, 2018

Is Corticosteroid Bad for Kawasaki Disease?

Is Corticosteroid Bad for Kawasaki Disease?

Corticosteroid or steroid is use to treat patients with kawasaki disease when conventional treatment using intravenous immunoglobulin is ineffective.

In kawasaki disease, their is an inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. Without prompt treatment, threatening cardiovascular complications can arise. This illness usually affects children and is the leading cause of heart disease among this young age group.

Is Corticosteroid Bad for Kawasaki Disease?
Is Corticosteroid Bad for Kawasaki Disease?

@healthbiztips by Arlene Gentallan

Studies have conflicting results.

There are studies that reveal using corticosteroid (steroid) is beneficial to children with kawasaki disease as it decreases the risk of cardiovascular complication. Using corticosteroid decreases the duration of symptom of kawasaki disease and speeds up normalization of laboratory tests results such as c-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

The use of corticosteroid to treat kawasaki disease promotes faster recovery from the disease, thereby reducing hospital stay.

However, there are studies linking the use of corticosteroid to the increase the risk of developing aneurysm. Aneurysm is the bulging of artery due to weakness of the arterial wall which poses danger because it has a risk of rupturing which can lead to internal bleeding and blockage.

Corticosteroid to treat kawasaki disease is usually use as a last resort when conventional treatments fail to cure the disease, considering the fact that when kawasaki disease is left untreated, life threatening complications can arise.

However, other studies show that using corticosteroid to treat kawasaki disease is well tolerated and effective both as a first line treatment and as a last resort when conventional treatment fails to work.


The use of corticosteroid to treat kawasaki disease should be used with caution, taking into account both risks and benefits.

Resources:

Wardle AJ, Connolly GM, Seager MJ, Tulloh RM. Corticosteroids for the treatment of Kawasaki disease in children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;1:CD011188. Published 2017 Jan 27. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011188.pub2

Dhanrajani A, Yeung RSM. Revisiting the role of steroids and aspirin in the management of acute Kawasaki disease. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2017;29(5):547-552.

Yang TJ, Lin MT, Lu CY, et al. The prevention of coronary arterial abnormalities in Kawasaki disease: A meta-analysis of the corticosteroid effectiveness. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2017;51(3):321-331.

Zhao CN, Du ZD, Gao LL. Corticosteroid Therapy Might be Associated with the Development of Coronary Aneurysm in Children with Kawasaki Disease. Chin Med J2016;129:922-8.
Is Corticosteroid Bad for Kawasaki Disease?
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