Kawasaki disease epidemiology in Europe

Abstract

The epidemiology of Kawasaki disease (KD) has not been well described in Europe. In many European countries, annual incidence increased during the 1990s and then plateaued. Current annual incidence is about 5–10 per 100,000 children younger than 5 years. The highest incidence is in Ireland (15.2 per 100,000). Discrepancies in incidence rates may reflect differences in disease recognition rather than true variation in incidence.