Kawasaki disease treatment costs

  Kawasaki disease, also known as cutaneous mucosal lymph node syndrome, is a systemic vascular inflammatory disease with small and medium-sized arteritis as the main pathological changes, mainly manifested by fever, rash, conjunctival congestion and non-purulent enlargement of cervical lymph nodes. If left untreated, about 20% of children will develop coronary artery injury, which leads to coronary artery dilation and coronary aneurysm formation, and is the most common cause of acquired heart disease. Kawasaki disease is more common in infants and children, mostly within 5 years of age, and more in boys than girls.  The prognosis of Kawasaki disease is related to the degree of coronary artery involvement, and with regular treatment, the prognosis is good. Treatment includes application of immunoglobulins, aspirin anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet aggregation and anticoagulation therapy. The cost of treatment is related to age, weight, severity and the presence of coronary artery damage. Immunoglobulin doses are calculated according to body weight, requiring a total of 2g/kg. The price of 2.5g/bottle of globulin is between $500 and $600, and the higher the body weight, the higher the cost. The price of aspirin is not high. The cost of blood inflammatory index tests, electrocardiogram, and cardiac ultrasound also account for a certain percentage of the cost, and regular monitoring of cardiac ultrasound is performed at a later stage.  It has been confirmed that early treatment can significantly reduce coronary artery aneurysm and mortality, so despite the cost pressure, it is important to actively cooperate with treatment.