Background: The etiology of Kawasaki disease (KD) is unknown. It is believed that viral infections could trigger the disease in susceptible patients.
Aim: To study the temporal association between the circulation of respiratory viruses and KD hospitalizations in the Metropolitan Region (MR), Chile, between 2010-2017.
Methods: Ecologic study consisting of a review of KD cases in children under 18 years of age based on hospital discharges. The circulation of respiratory viruses was analyzed using the report of the metropolitan surveillance network. Moving averages for KD (MAKD) and respiratory viruses (MARV) were used.
Results: 14,902 cases of respiratory virus infections were recorded between 2010-2017. A direct correlation was found between MARV-respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) of one month and year and MAKD of the subsequent month (correlation coefficient (ρ) = +0.441; p < 0.001). A similar association was found for MARV-influenza A (FLU A) (ρ = + 0.362; p < 0.001). MARV-influenza B (FLU B) and MARV-metapneumovirus (MPV) had direct correlations with MAKD (ρ = +0.443; p < 0.001 and ρ = +0.412; p < 0.001, respectively), being FLU B contemporary in month and year with KD, and MPV presenting a one-month lag.
Conclusion: There is a direct temporal correlation between RSV, FLU A, FLU B and MPV circulation and KD in children from RM, Chile.