Kawasaki disease in childhood and psychiatric disorders: A population-based case-control prospective study in Taiwan

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a common childhood acute inflammatory disease and potentially triggers a chronic inflammation. Although some researches have investigated neurodevelopmental consequences following KD, the findings have been inconsistent. This is the first population-based study targeted on KD and common psychiatric disorders. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the association between KD and psychiatric disorders and hypothesized that standard anti-inflammatory treatment by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) may protect against development of psychiatric disorders. Method: We retrieved data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research database (NHIRD). Patients (n = 282,513) with psychiatric disorders (the case group) during 1997–2013 were included, and the control group was matched with age, sex, income and urbanization (1:1). We calculated the prevalence of KD in both groups and estimated odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the subgroup analyses for KD in conditions of age, severity, and common psychiatric comorbidity. Results: Numbers of patients with KD were 460 in the cases and 380 in the controls (p = .006), and the crude OR of KD was 1.21 times greater (95% CI = 1.06–1.39, p = .006) in the case than the control groups. KD patients without IVIG treatment (n = 126) were higher in the cases than those in the controls (n = 54), with the OR of 2.33 (95% CI = 1.70–3.21, p < .0001). Subgroup analyses showed that KD survivors were at significant risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.27–3.65; p = .005) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.02–1.39; p = 0.03), and a trend of increased risk for anxiety disorders (OR = 1.36, 95%CI = 0.99–1.86; p = 0.05). Conclusions: Patients with KD were more likely to have comorbid psychiatric disorders, including ASD and ADHD. Moreover, anti-inflammatory treatment with IVIG may have potential prophylactic effects against the development of psychiatric disorders.