Kawasaki Disease - Epidemiology

Epidemiology

Kawasaki disease affects boys more than girls with people of Asian ethnicity, particularly Japanese and Korean people are most susceptible as well as people of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity. The disease was rare in Caucasians until the last few decades and incidence rate fluctuates from country to country.

Currently, Kawasaki disease is the most commonly diagnosed pediatric vasculitis in the world. By far the highest incidence of Kawasaki disease occurs in Japan, with the most recent study placing the attack rate at 218.6 per 100,000 children <5 years of age (~1 in 450 children). At this present attack rate, more than 1 in 150 children in Japan will develop Kawasaki disease during their lifetime.

However, its incidence in the United States is increasing. Kawasaki disease is predominantly a disease of young children, with 80% of patients younger than five years of age. Approximately 2,000-4,000 cases are identified in the United States each year.

In the United Kingdom, estimates of incidence rate vary because of the rarity of Kawasaki disease. However, Kawasaki disease is believed to affect fewer than 1 in every 25,000 people. Incidence of the disease doubled from 1991 to 2000 however, with 4 cases in per 100,000 children in 1991 compared with a rise of 8 cases per 100,000 in 2000.