Up in the Air: Does Ground-Level Ozone Trigger Kawasaki Disease?

PDF Version (455 KB) About This Article Published: 23 June 2017 Note to readers with disabilities: EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact ehponline@niehs.nih.gov. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days. Related EHP Article Ambient Air Pollutant Exposures and Hospitalization for Kawasaki Disease in Taiwan: A Case-Crossover Study (2000–2010) Chau-Ren Jung, Wei-Ting Chen, Yu-Ting Lin, and Bing-Fang Hwang Kawasaki disease occurs most often in children of East Asian ancestry,1 but the known genetic factors2 cannot explain why more children have been diagnosed with the disease in recent years, according to Bing-Fang Hwang, an environmental epidemiologist at China Medical University in Taiwan. Hwang and colleagues now report an association between exposure to ground-level ozone and increased risk of Kawasaki disease in a group of young Taiwanese children.3 Kawasaki disease is a childhood ailment that causes fever, rash, and a red tongue, among other symptoms. It leads to inflammation in blood vessels throughout the child’s body. Most children recover from the disease within a few weeks, but up to one-quarter develop heart problems, inc...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Science Selections Source Type: research