Kawasaki Disease News and Research

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Kawasaki disease (also known as lymph node syndrome, mucocutaneous node disease, infantile polyarteritis and Kawasaki syndrome) is a disease, largely of infants, which affects many organs, including the skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, and blood vessel walls, but the most serious effect is on the heart where it can cause severe aneurysmal dilations.

Generating an alternative to IVIG therapy: an interview with Professor Richard Pleass, LSTM

IVIG is a hugely successful biological with FDA approval for treating idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Kawasaki disease, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Graves ophthalmopathy and numerous polyneuropathies.

11 Nov 2013

First global analysis of Kawasaki disease published by PLOS ONE

After more than four decades of research, strong evidence now shows that Kawasaki disease has a distinct seasonal occurrence shared by regions across the Northern hemisphere.

24 Sep 2013

Weill Cornell reports new findings from IVIG Phase 3 trial in Alzheimer's disease at AAIC 2013

Weill Cornell Medical College neurologist Dr. Norman Relkin reported new findings today from the Phase 3 clinical trial of IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston, Mass.

16 Jul 2013

Proteins detected in urine may enable diagnosis of Kawasaki disease

A set of proteins detected in urine by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital may prove to be the first biomarkers for Kawasaki disease, an uncommon but increasingly prevalent disease which causes inflammation of blood vessels that can lead to enlarged coronary arteries and even heart attacks in some children.

20 Dec 2012

AHA/ASA identify top cardiovascular and stroke research advances for 2012

Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year's top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

18 Dec 2012

Promising results for pneumococcal vaccine

Research published in The Lancet shows that the PHiD-CV10 vaccine is highly effective at protecting children against invasive pneumococcal disease.

21 Nov 2012

Adenovirus detection not uncommon among children with Kawasaki disease

Clinicians should take caution when diagnosing a child who has a high fever and whose tests show evidence of adenovirus, and not assume the virus is responsible for Kawasaki-like symptoms. According to a new study from Nationwide Children's Hospital appearing in Clinical Infectious Diseases, adenovirus detection is not uncommon among children with Kawasaki disease.

5 Nov 2012

Blood flow simulation tools can test and optimize Berlin Heart design

Structural and mechanical engineers at the University of California, San Diego, are working together to create blood flow simulations that could lead to improvements in the design of a cardiac pump for children born with heart defects. They hope that the design changes will improve young patients' outcomes.

11 Sep 2012

Link between chronic exposure to staph bacteria and risk of lupus

Chronic exposure to even small amounts of staph bacteria could be a risk factor for the chronic inflammatory disease lupus, Mayo Clinic research shows. Staph, short for Staphylococcus aureus, is a germ commonly found on the skin or in the nose, sometimes causing infections.

9 Aug 2012

Kawasaki Disease may increase risk of atherosclerosis in children

Cedars-Sinai researchers have linked Kawasaki Disease, a serious childhood illness that causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body, with early-onset and accelerated atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease in adults.

18 Jul 2012

Merck welcomes launch of ROTATEQ in Rwanda of Africa’s rotavirus vaccination program

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, welcomes today's launch in Rwanda of Africa's first national rotavirus vaccination program with ROTATEQ (rotavirus vaccine, live, oral, pentavalent), Merck's vaccine for the prevention of rotavirus disease.

25 May 2012

Lab results change in consistent ways during the course of Kawasaki disease

Children with Kawasaki disease show a pattern of changing laboratory test results as the disease runs its course, according to a study in the December issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

15 Dec 2011

Long-range wind transport of an infectious agent may cause KD

Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a severe childhood disease that many parents, even some doctors, mistake for an inconsequential viral infection. In fact, if not diagnosed or treated in time, it can lead to irreversible heart damage. After 50 years of research, including genetic studies, scientists have been unable to pinpoint the cause of the disease.

10 Nov 2011

Filipino children with KD at greater risk for inflammation of heart blood vessels

While children of all ethnicities can contract Kawasaki disease (KD), a study led by researchers at the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego finds that Filipino children with KD are at a higher risk for inflammation of the blood vessels of the heart than those of other Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.

7 May 2011

EMA recommends lifting of suspension of marketing authorization for Octapharma's octagam

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended today to lift the EU-wide suspension of the marketing authorizations of both octagam® and octagam®10% which has been in place since September 2010, subject to certain conditions.

15 Apr 2011

Hartwell honors UCSD scientists with Individual Biomedical Research Award

Three scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine are among this year's 12 winners of Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards, honoring researchers whose work advances children's health.

7 Apr 2011

UC San Diego researchers receive two federal grants for biomedical informatics

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, led by Lucila Ohno-Machado, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Biomedical Informatics in the Department of Medicine, have received two federal grants totaling more than $25 million to develop new ways to gather, analyze, use and share vast, ever-increasing amounts of biomedical information.

25 Oct 2010

Octapharma announces new study of IVIG in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy

Octapharma AG today announced the imminent start of the biggest ever study of an intravenous immunoglobulin preparation (IVIG) in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP).

8 Sep 2010

Pediatric patients face number of cardiac conditions that can impact their health

While heart disease is traditionally associated with adults, pediatric patients face a number of cardiac conditions that can impact their health.

18 Feb 2010

Octapharma initiates Phase III studies for new, high purity IVIG in treatment of primary immune deficiency

Octapharma AG today announced the start of the first of a series of Phase III studies for its new 10% high purity intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). The study will investigate the efficacy and safety of this novel immunoglobulin in the treatment of primary immune deficiency and, together with results from additional upcoming studies, will support its regulatory filing in Europe and the US.

16 Feb 2010