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Clinical and laboratory observations
Treatment of immune globulin-resistant Kawasaki
disease with pulsed doses of corticosteroids
Dowain A. Wright, MD, PhD, Jane W. Newburger, MD, MPH,
Anneffe Baker, RN, MSN, and Robert P. Sundel, MD
From the Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology (Rheumatology), and the De-
partment of Cardiology, Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard
Medical School, Boston, Massachusetrs
We describe four children with Kawasaki disease resistant to treatment with intra-
venously administered immune globulin who were treated with high doses of meth-
ylprednisolone. All four patients apparently responded with normalization of
symptoms, and none had significant progression of coronary artery abnormalities
or adverse events. We recommend pulse methylprednisolone therapy (30 mg/kg
per day) during a I - to 3-day period for patients with Kawasaki disease who do
not respond to intravenous immune globulin therapy or who have recrudescent
disease after adequate therapy. (J PEDIATR 1996; 128:146-9)
Submitted for publication May 1, 1995; accepted Aug. 18, 1995.
Reprint requests: Dowain A. Wright, MD, PhD, Division of Immu-
nology, Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood, Ave., Enders 8, Bos-
ton, MA 02115.
Copyright © 1996 by Mosby-Year Book, Inc.
0022-3476/96 $5.00 + 0 9/26/68657
Administration of intravenous immune globulin reduces
both the duration of fever and the prevalence of coronary
artery aneurysms when given within 10 days of the onset of
Kawasaki disease. 1 Nonetheless, approximately 10% of
children treated with IVIG have persistent or recrudescent
fever despite IVIG treatment. 2 Although the majority of