The New Relationship between Kawasaki Disease and MIS-C

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a childhood disease associated with serious coronary artery complications. It is the most common cause of pediatric acquired heart disease in developed countries and is increasingly reported from many developing countries. The etiology of KD is still uncertain; interaction between a genetic predisposition and several environmental and immunological factors has been hypothesized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that many children with MIS-C were infected with the new coronavirus or had close contact with people with the new coronavirus. Children with MIS-C show symptoms similar to severe cases of Kawasaki disease. An early discussion of similarities and differences between the novel coronavirus and Kawasaki disease was initiated towards the end of March 2020 between Dr. Karim Elakabawi, Benha university, Egypt; Prof. Manuel Katz, the chairman of the global CIP, Israel; and Prof. Jiao Fuyong, the head of the Center of Kawasaki disease diagnosis and treatment, shaanxi province, China. The three doctors discussed their strong observations about the epidemiologic distribution of KD cases and global affection of the Corona viruses family: SARS, MERS, and the most recently COVID-19. This article mainly summarizes the similarities and differences between KD and MIS-C.