GENERAL PATHOLOGY OF KAWASAKI DISEASE - ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Abstract

Systemic pathological alterations were studied in 37 autopsied patients with Kawasaki disease. Systemic vasculitis was the most characteristic pathological finding and was present in all the patients. In addition to the vasculitis, there was a high incidence of inflammatory lesions in various organs and tissues: in the heart, endocarditis, myocarditis and pericarditis; in the digestive system, stomatitis, sialoduct-adenitis, catarrhal enteritis, hepatitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis and pancreas ductitis; in the respiratory system, bronchitis and segmental interstitial pneumonia; in the urinary system, focal interstitial nephritis, cystitis and prostatitis; in the nervous system, aseptic leptomeningitis, choriomeningitis, ganglionitis and neuritis; in the hematopoietic system, lymphadenitis, splenitis and thymitis. Dermatitis, panniculitis or myositis were also observed in some patients. Kawasaki disease is a systemic inflammatory disease which mainly affects the cardiovascular system. These systemic inflammatory lesions are considered to correspond to the variegated clinical manifestations. The relationship between Kawasaki disease and infantile polyarteritis nodosa (IPN) were discussed, based on the clinicopathological characteristics.