This study was performed to compare the therapeutic effects according to duration of medium-dose aspirin(50-60 mg/kg/day) therapy at the acute stage of Kawasaki disease(KD).

Total 87 patients with KD were enrolled in this study. We performed retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics and echocardiographic findings based on medical records. Patient were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the duration of aspirin therapy at the acute stage of KD. Long-term group(LG, n=55) was administered medium-dose aspirin for 2 weeks after diagnosis of KD, and short-term group(SG, n=32) for 48 hours after intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG) administration. The parameters of therapeutic effects were duration of fever after IVIG administration, incidence of unresponsive patients to single administration of IVIG, and development of transient dilatation or aneurysm of coronary arteries.

There was no significant difference in the duration of fever after IVIG between the both group(LG 1.7±1.1 days, SG 1.8±1.1 days; P =0.588). The incidences of unresponsive patient to the single administration of IVIG were 5.5 percent, 6.3 percent in the each group. Transient dilatation of coronary arteries occurred at 18.2 percent(10/55) in the LG, and 15.6 percent(5/32) in the SG( P =0.761). Prevalence of coronary aneurysm after subacute stage were 7.3 percent(4/55) in the LG, and 9.4 percent(3/32) in the SG( P =0.728).

There was no significant difference in the therapeutic effects between long-term(2 weeks) and short-term(48 hours) administration of medium-dose aspirin at the acute stage of KD.