Immunoglobulin plus Cyclosporine for Prevention of Coronary Artery Abnormalities in Kawasaki Disease

Cyclosporine targets genetic variants related to Kawasaki disease and its consequences, making it a candidate for therapy, particularly in children at higher risk for not responding to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) alone.

In this phase 3 trial, researchers in Japan randomized 175 inpatients aged 4 months to 15 years with diagnosed Kawasaki disease at high risk for nonresponse to standard treatment to receive IVIG plus cyclosporine (intervention) or IVIG alone (standard treatment). Risk for nonresponse was measured with a standardized scoring tool. The primary outcome was incidence of coronary artery abnormality, as defined by Japanese criteria, at any of five time points — 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after treatment in…