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Polyarteritis nodosa mimics Kawasaki disease
  1. Ibrahim Alibrahim1,
  2. Aisha Mirza2 and
  3. Amer Khojah3
  1. 1Umm Al-Qura University College of Medicine, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  2. 2Pediatrics, Maternity and Children Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  3. 3Pediatrics, Umm Al-Qura University College of Medicine, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Amer Khojah; amkhojah{at}uqu.edu.sa

Abstract

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rarely seen vasculitis that often affects small-sized and medium-sized arteries. PAN can present with diverse clinical features depending on the organs involved, including potential cardiac involvement. Typical cardiac manifestations of PAN in the paediatric age group include pericarditis, valvular heart disease and coronary artery aneurysms. In contrast to PAN, Kawasaki disease (KD) is often associated with coronary artery abnormalities. Herein, we report a case of a young boy presented with KD-like features, including a coronary artery aneurysm confirmed by an echocardiogram (ECHO) and eventually diagnosed as PAN. The patient was treated with steroids, methotrexate and tocilizumab with improvement of the symptoms. Repeated ECHO revealed the resolution of the coronary artery aneurysms. Our paper highlights a rare presentation of PAN mimicking KD presentation. Physicians should consider PAN in chronic or severe courses of KD or coronary artery aneurysms.

  • Pediatrics
  • Rheumatology
  • Biological agents
  • Vasculitis

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Footnotes

  • Contributors All authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content. All authors gave final approval of the manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.