A Single Intravenous Infusion of Gamma Globulin as Compared with Four Infusions in the Treatment of Acute Kawasaki Syndrome

Kawasaki syndrome is an acute illness of childhood characterized by fever, rash, conjunctivitis, inflammation of the mucous membranes, swollen erythematous hands and feet, and cervical adenopathy. 1 , 2 The histopathological features of vasculitis involving arterioles, capillaries, and venules appear in the earliest phase of the disease. 3 Subsequently, the walls of the coronary arteries and other medium-sized muscular arteries may show evidence of focal segmental destruction, with coronary-artery aneurysms or ectasia developing in approximately 15 to 25 percent of affected children. 4 5 6 Studies in Japan suggested that the intravenous administration of gamma globulin during the acute phase of Kawasaki syndrome decreased the prevalence of . . .