Objective: Human resistin is expressed strongly in monocytes or macrophages rather than in adipocytes and may play a pivotal role in inflammation. We hypothesize that resistin levels are elevated in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) in the acute phase and may be associated with the disease severity.
Design and subjects: Serum resistin concentrations were measured in 44 Japanese children with KD and 17 age-matched healthy children. All the KD patients were given both aspirin and a single dose of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).
Results: The serum resistin levels at baseline in KD children were significantly higher than those in controls [33.0 (21.6-45.3) vs. 14.8 (12.4-18.6) ng/mL, P < 0.001]. After IVIG therapy, serum resistin levels were significantly decreased to normal control levels. No significant difference in baseline resistin levels was found between the high-risk group and the low-risk group of coronary artery aneurysms.
Conclusions: We confirmed that resistin was an acute inflammatory protein, but its concentrations were unlikely to predict the prognosis of disease in acute KD patients.