Importance of Fostering International Collaboration for Optimal Outcomes of Kawasaki Disease Worldwide: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute medium-size vasculitis that affects the coronary arteries. Untreated children can develop coronary artery aneurysms with a prevalence of ≈25%, but prompt treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (2 g/kg per dose) can reduce the risk to <5%. KD affects children all over the globe with varying incidence and, above all, varying diagnostic accuracy and management accessibility. The recognition of KD remains a burden to overcome in many nations. The success witnessed in the past 50 years of KD research and development among the economically advanced countries has led to effective recognition and management strategies for KD. Hence, local, multicenter, national, and international collaborative efforts, with dynamic exchange between low- and middle-income and countries such as Japan, and Europe and North America, which have developed effective guidelines, are needed to improve recognition and care of patients with KD. In this science advisory, we discuss the status of existing KD collaborative groups, logistics of operating multi-institutional clinical and research collaborations, impact on patient outcome and knowledge sharing, and future directions toward multinational quality improvement for KD collaborations.