Oxidative stress and Kawasaki disease: how is oxidative stress involved from the acute stage to the chronic stage?

Abstract

Inflammation and oxidative stress are closely related. Further, oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathology of inflammation-based Kawasaki disease. An excessive in vivo production of reactive oxygen species increases oxidative stress in the body, which triggers an endless vicious spiral of inflammation reactions and reactive oxygen metabolites. This presumably forms diffuse vasculitis in the acute phase. Acute inflammation and oxidative stress can be rapidly controlled by treatments; however, they may remain for a long time. This has recently been identified as a problem in the chronic phase of Kawasaki disease. Generally, the presence of vascular inflammation and oxidative stress impairs blood vessels, leading to the onset of atherosclerosis, which is a widely recognized risk. The current discussion focuses on whether the same is valid for blood vessels in the chronic phase of Kawasaki disease.

Keywords: Kawasaki disease; arteriosclerosis; oxidative stress.