Published in:
Open Access 01-12-2013 | Research article
Kawasaki disease and subsequent risk of allergic diseases: a population-based matched cohort study
Published in: BMC Pediatrics | Issue 1/2013
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Background
The risk of allergic diseases among Kawasaki disease (KD) patients relative to the general population is not known. The aim of this study was to perform a population-based cohort study to investigate the risk of allergic diseases among children after KD in Taiwan- a country with the third highest incidence of KD in the world.
Methods
Data were obtained from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. In total, 253 patients who were 5 years of age or younger and had a first-time hospitalization with a diagnosis of KD between 1997 and 2005 were included as the study cohort and 1,012 non-KD patients matched for age and sex were included as comparison cohort. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to adjust for confounding and to compare the 6-year allergic-free survival rate between these two cohorts.
Results
The incidence rate of allergic diseases (184.66 per 1000 person-year) was significantly higher in the KD cohort than in the control cohort (124.99 per 1000 person-years). After adjusting for potential confounders, the adjusted hazard ratios of asthma and allergic rhinitis were 1.51 (95% confidence interval = 1.17-1.95) and 1.30 (95% confidence interval = 1.04-1.62), respectively.
Conclusion
We conclude that KD patients were at an increased risk for allergic diseases compared with the comparison cohort.