The Impact of Social Distancing for COVID-19 Upon Diagnosis of Kawasaki Disease
Stanford T. Shulman, Bessey Geevarghese, Kwang‐Youn A. Kim, Anne H. Rowley
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mitigation policies have been associated with profound decreases in diagnoses of common childhood respiratory infections. A leading theory of etiology of Kawasaki disease (KD) is that it is triggered by presently unidentified ubiquitous respiratory agent. We document that mitigation policies instituted in mid-March 2020 were associated with strikingly fewer diagnoses of KD in April-December 2020 compared with the same period in the previous 8 years (P = .01), a >67% decline. This finding supports the hypothesis that KD is caused by a respiratory-transmitted agent.
Topics & Concepts
Kawasaki diseaseMedicineCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Respiratory systemEtiologyDiseaseIntensive care medicineSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Medical diagnosisPandemicRespiratory illnessCoronavirusPediatricsInternal medicinePathologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)ArteryKawasaki Disease and Coronary ComplicationsMechanical Circulatory Support DevicesCardiac Structural Anomalies and Repair