Genetic Determinants of Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute self-limited vasculitis of infancy and early childhood. Most patients recover without sequelae although the inflammatory process causes permanent damage to the coronary arteries in 20-25% of untreated children. An infectious aetiology is suspected, but the causative agent has not been identified. The investigators aim to identify the genes underlying both susceptibility to Kawasaki disease, and the development of coronary artery aneurysms.