Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein 8-like molecule 2 in children with Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease has replaced rheumatic fever as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in Japan, the United States, and China. TIPE2 is closely linked to the onset and progression of various immune diseases, but the association of TIPE2 with vascular endothelial damage in Kawasaki disease and the possibility of assessing changes in serum TIPE2 to predict vascular damage in Kawasaki disease have not been evaluated. Therefore, the aim of this study is to detect the level of TIPE2 in patients with Kawasaki disease to further explore the relationship between TIPE2 and vascular injury in Kawasaki disease. Blood samples were collected from 38 children with Kawasaki disease before treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and from 20 healthy children as controls. Clinical data were collected from the patients, and serum TIPE2 levels were measured in all participants with the use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Serum TIPE2 levels were significantly lower in the KD group than in the control group. Among KD patients, those with KD-CAE exhibited markedly lower serum TIPE2 levels than KD-nCAE. After IVIG treatment, TIPE2 levels increased substantially. In children with KD, serum TIPE2 levels showed a positive correlation with hemoglobin and a negative correlation with neutrophil percentage. Serum TIPE2 levels in children with Kawasaki disease may be associated with the onset of the disease and the development of coronary artery ectasia.