Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic childhood vasculitis with peculiar tropism for the heart. Coronary artery aneurysms are the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. The timely administration of gammaglobulin decreases the risk for development of coronary artery aneurysms, highlighting the importance of early KD recognition. However, the most significant dilemma in the management of KD is the diagnosis itself. In this article, we review the recent literature focusing on the diagnostic utility of N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide as a biomarker for diagnosis of KD. The main conclusion is that N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide is an useful biomarker for KD diagnostic that represents a valuable addition to the current diagnostic workup of patients with suspected KD, increasing the diagnostic accuracy.
Keywords: Kawasaki disease; NT-proBNP; biomarkers; children; coronary artery aneurysm; echocardiography; inflammation; myocardial ischemia; natriuretic peptides; prolonged fever.