Giant coronary aneurysms are the most severe complications of Kawasaki disease. There are few reports of outcomes from China. Most previous studies were based only on absolute aneurysmal dimensions. The aim of the present study was to catalog the outcomes of Kawasaki disease with giant coronary aneurysms in southwest China based on absolute dimensions and the z-score adjusted for body surface area.

All patients diagnosed with giant coronary aneurysms (z-score ≥ 10 or absolute dimension ≥ 8 mm) between December, 2002 and December, 2018 were included. We retrospectively analysed patient characteristics and clinical data from 38 patients with giant coronary aneurysms. Over a median follow-up period of 30.5 months (range from 1.7 months to 22.3 years), including patients in chronic phase who had been diagnosed prior to 2002, eight patients had myocardial infarction, including two deaths and one patient with coronary artery bypass grafting. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year event-free rates were 0.63, 0.63, and 0.53 for thrombosis, respectively, and 0.86, 0.81, and 0.81 for major adverse cardiac events, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year regression-free rates were 0.94, 0.85, and 0.67, respectively. A total of 73.7% of patients remained active.

In the early stages of Kawasaki disease, patients with giant coronary aneurysms often experience major cardiovascular events; however, they are also likely to have normalisation of the coronary internal luminal diameter. With long-term anticoagulation, close cardiologic monitoring, and prompt thrombolytic therapy, most patients can achieve disease-free periods.

One of the most important complications of Kawasaki disease is the development of giant coronary aneurysms. Risk factors for their development are still not clear.

A retrospective analysis was conducted at the National Institute of Paediatrics in Mexico City, Mexico. It included all patients with a diagnosis of acute Kawasaki disease between August, 1995 and August, 2015. Clinical and laboratory findings, as well as echocardiographic measurements, were recorded. Patients with giant coronary aneurysms (z-score⩾10) were compared with the rest of the patients. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated to define risk factors.

During the study period, 416 patients were diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Of them, 34 developed giant coronary aneurysms during the acute stage of the disease. In the multivariate analysis, patients younger than 1 year, those with a higher duration of illness at the time of diagnosis, and those who received additional intravenous immunoglobulin showed a significantly higher frequency of giant coronary aneurysms.

One of the main factors associated with the development of giant coronary aneurysms was the delay in the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease. This finding highlights the importance of maintaining a high suspicion of the disease, which would enable an early diagnosis and prompt treatment and decrease the risk for developing giant coronary aneurysms.