The incidence of KD in South Korea increased to 194.7 per 100,000 children younger than 5 years in 2014; meanwhile, the coronary aneurysm rate decreased to 1.7%.
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been spreading worldwide since December 2019. Hundreds of cases of children and adolescents with Kawasaki disease (KD)–like hyperinflammatory illness have been reported in Europe and the United States during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic with or without shock and cardiac dysfunction. These patients tested positive for the polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for SARS-CoV-2 or had a history of recent exposure to COVID-19. Clinicians managing such patients coined new terms for this new illness, such as COVID-19–associated hyperinflammatory response syndrome, pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19, or COVID-19–associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The pathogenesis of MIS-C is unclear; however, it appears similar to that of cytokine storm syndrome. MIS-C shows clinical features similar to KD, but differences between them exist with respect to age, sex, and racial distributions and proportions of patients with shock or cardiac dysfunction. Recommended treatments for MIS-C include intravenous immunoglobulin, corticosteroids, and inotropic or vasopressor support. For refractory patients, monoclonal antibody to interleukin-6 receptor (tocilizumab), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra), or monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor (infliximab) may be recommended. Patients with coronary aneurysms require aspirin or anticoagulant therapy. The prognosis of MIS-C seemed favorable without sequelae in most patients despite a reported mortality rate of approximately 1.5%.
Background:
This study aimed to investigate recent epidemiologic features of Kawasaki disease (KD) in South Korea.
Methods:
The ninth triennial nationwide questionnaire survey collected data on the demographic findings, symptoms and signs, treatment patterns and coronary artery complications of acute-phase KD occurred in 2015–2017 from 98 hospitals with pediatric residency programs and 108 community hospitals without residency programs.
Results:
We received data from 93 of the 98 hospitals (response rate: 94.9%) with residency programs and 75 of the 108 community-based children’s hospitals (response rate: 69.4%) without residency programs. In the 3-year survey period, a total of 15,378 (5449 in 2015, 5171 in 2016 and 4758 in 2017) cases of KD were reported. The mean age at diagnosis was 33.0 ± 24.8 months (range: 0–205 months), and the male-to-female ratio was 1.41:1. The overall KD incidence was 196.9 (202.2 in 2015, 197.1 in 2016 and 191.0 in 2017) per 100,000 younger than 5 years population. Recurrent cases were 4.85%. KD occurred more frequently during winter (December–January) and late spring (May–June). Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was administered to 95% of the patients; nonresponder rate for the first IVIG was 14.8%. Coronary artery aneurysms and giant coronary artery aneurysms (internal diameter >8 mm) occurred in 1.7% and 19 patients, respectively. Two patients died due to multiorgan failure and hepatic encephalopathy.
Conclusion:
Peak incidence of KD in South Korea was 202.2 per 100,000 younger than 5 years population (2015), and the incidence of giant coronary artery aneurysm decreased to 0.09% (2017).
Background Chronic low back pain (CLBP) arising from degenerative disc disease continues to be a challenging clinical and diagnostic problem whether treated with nonsurgical, pain intervention, or motion-preserving stabilization and arthrodesis. Methods Fourteen patients with CLBP, greater than 6 months, unresponsive to at least 4 months of conservative care were enrolled. All patients were treated successfully following screening using MRI findings of Modic type I or II changes and positive confirmatory provocative discography to determine the affected levels. All patients underwent ablation of the basivertebral nerve (BVN) using 1414 nm Nd:YAG laser-assisted energy guided in a transforaminal epiduroscopic approach. Macnab's criteria and visual analog scale (VAS) score were collected retrospectively at each follow-up interval. Results The mean age was 46 ± 9.95 years. The mean symptoms duration was 21.21 ± 21.87 months. The mean follow-up was 15.3 ± 2.67 months. The preoperative VAS score of 7.79 ± 0.97 changed to 1.92 ± 1.38, postoperatively (P < 0.01). As per Macnab's criteria, seven patients (50%) had excellent, six patients (42.85%) had good, and one patient (7.14%) had fair outcomes. Conclusion The transforaminal epiduroscopic basivertebral nerve laser ablation (TEBLA) appears to be a promising option in carefully selected patients with CLBP associated with the Modic changes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.