Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis in children. Eosinophilia, a reflection of the host's immune response that can cause tissue damage, has been associated with KD, with eosinophils preferentially accumulating in the microvasculature. In early-stage Kawasaki disease (KD), lesions (perivasculitis and vasculitis) first form in the microvessels, which can then extend to the larger vessels and result in coronary artery aneurysms, possibly leading to myocardial infarction even in young children. Overall, the prevalence of coronary artery aneurysms in children with Kawasaki disease is about 10-18%, which is much higher among those not treated early in the course of the illness.  We performed this study to gain a better understanding of the initial pathogenesis of KD and to assess the relationship between eosinophilia and coronary artery disease.

Methods:  The data from forty-eight patients at Vali-asr Hospital of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (1996-2006) were included in this cross-sectional descriptive analysis. The presence and degree of coronary artery disease was assessed by echocardiography. Data was analyzed via Fisher's exact test and student's t-test using SPSS software, v. 11.5.

Results: Eosinophilia was seen in 10 cases (22%) and cardiac lesions were observed in 19 cases (41%). The frequency of microvessel lesions was significantly lower in patients with eosinophilia (10% with eosinophilia versus 50% without eosinophilia, p<0.03). The frequency of microvessel lesions was lower in males than in females (35 vs. 44%, respectively), although this was not significant. We found no correlation between the frequency of microvessel lesions and age.

Conclusions: In spite of the controversies regarding eosinophilia and microvessel lesions, in this study the number of circulating eosinophils was associated with fewer cardiac lesions. Comparative studies are needed to determine the exact relationship.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Background: This study was designed to explore the contribution of risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with indication for coronary angiography. Coronary angiography is defined as the radiographic visualization of the coronary vessels after injection of radio opaque contrast media. Despite the recognition of risk factors for CAD, the association between related risk factors and angiographic findings remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to explore the association between Gensini scores and major cardiovascular risk factors in patients with indications for coronary angiography.
Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 495 patients who had been hospitalized at Dr. Shariati Hospital during September 2009 to September 2010 and had undergone coronary angiography. The patients were evaluated for the severity of coronary lesions on the angiogram by Gensini scoring system. The patients were also evaluated for the presence or absence of DM, hypertension, family history of cardiac diseases, low HDL, hyperlipoproteinemia, hypertriglyceridemia and cigarette smoking. Statistical analysis wad done to find any relationship between Gensini scores and cardiovascular risk factors.
Results: The study population consisted of 249 men (50.3%) and 245 woman (49.5%) with a mean age of 58.1±10.3 years. A positive correlation was found between age (P=0.04), sex (P=0.008), HDL (P=0.04) smoking (P=0.0001) and diabetes (P<0.013) with Gensini scores.
Conclusion: In patients with indications of angiography, Gensini scores provide valuable prognostic information on cardiovascular risk factors. Age, sex, HDL, smoking and diabetes are related to the severity of coronary lesions on the angiograms.