HLA Antigens in Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome

Abstract

Kawasaki disease or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MLNS), first described by Kawasaki^1-2in 1974, is an acute febrile disease of unknown etiology. Until recently, more than 6,000 cases of this disease have been listed in the survey of a special study group supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare. Although a number of cases have been accumulated even outside of Japan,3-6 it is much less common elsewhere. The etiology of the disease is now under investigation including the isolation of aRickettsia-like body.⁷There is a possibility that an immunopathological mechanism similar to that of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and infantile polyarteritis nodosa is responsible, as evidenced by cardiac involvement, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, positive C-reactive protein and increased α²-globulin in serum. Several immunopathological diseases are known to be associated with individual human lymphocytes antigen (HLA),⁸but to date no investigation has been