Corticosteroids for the treatment of Kawasaki disease in children.

CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-quality evidence shows that use of steroids in the acute phase of KD can be associated with improved coronary artery abnormalities, shorter duration of hospital stay and a decreased duration of clinical symptoms. High-quality evidence shows reduced inflammatory marker levels. There were insufficient data available regarding incidence of adverse effects attributable to steroids, mortality and long-term (> 1 year) coronary morbidity. Certain groups, including those based in Asia, those with higher risk scores, and those receiving longer steroid treatment may have greater benefit from steroid use, especially with decreasing rates of heart problems, but more tests are needed to answer these questions. Evidence presented in this study suggests that treatment with a long course of steroids should be considered for all children diagnosed with KD until further studies are performed. PMID: 28129459 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Source Type: research