EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFANT KAWASAKI-DISEASE WITH A REPORT OF THE YOUNGESTNEONATAL CASE EVER REPORTED IN JAPAN

Our objectives were to describe epidemiological pictures of infant Kaw asaki disease (RD) and to report the youngest patient ever reported in Japan. A Japanese database of 105 755 KD patients reported in the 25 year period since 1970 was analyzed. Of all the cases registered, ther e were only six cases aged 30 days or younger and 1768 cases (1.67%) a ged 90 days or younger. We reported a typical case of KD (female, the onset at 20 days old) who was the youngest patient ever reported in Ja pan. The epidemiology of KD in early infants does not contradict the i nfection theory of the etiology; the rare incidence in the neonatal pe riod can be explained by the protective effects of the passive immunit y transferred from the mother and by exposure to the unknown infectiou s agents.