↓ Figure 1. PRISMA flow diagram of study selection. PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.
| Cardiology Research, ISSN 1923-2829 print, 1923-2837 online, Open Access |
| Article copyright, the authors; Journal compilation copyright, Cardiol Res and Elmer Press Inc |
| Journal website https://cr.elmerpub.com |
Original Article
Volume 17, Number 6, December 2026, pages 616-629
Efficacy and Safety of Adjunctive Corticosteroids in Children With Kawasaki Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials
Figures
Table
| Study | Arms | Sample size | Age, mean (SD) | Male, n (%) | C-reactive protein (mg/L), mean (SD) | White blood cell count (× 103/µL), mean (SD) | Platelet count (× 104/µL), mean (SD) | ESR (mm/h), mean (SD) | Albumin (g/dL), mean (SD) | LAD z-score, mean (SD) | LAD z-score, mean (SD) | LMCA z-score, mean (SD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tx: treatment; SD: standard deviation; CRP: C-reactive protein; WBC: white blood cell count; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; LAD z-score: left anterior descending coronary artery z-score; LMCA z-score: left main coronary artery z-score; NA: not available; ; Albumin: serum albumin; Male n (%): number and percentage of male participants. | ||||||||||||
| Lin et al, 2026 [14] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 1,604 | 2.7 (1.8) | 973 (60.7) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 1.1 (1.2) | 0.8 (1.1) | 0.9 (1.2) |
| Standard Tx | 1,604 | 2.7 (1.9) | 967 (60.3) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | 1 (1.2) | 0.8 (1.1) | 0.8 (1.1) | |
| Kobayashi et al, 2012 [15] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 121 | 2.6 (2.3) | 67 (55.4) | 93 (54.1) | 15.4 (4.9) | 27.4 (8.1) | NA | NA | 1.6 (0.8) | 1.4 (0.9) | 1.6 (0.6) |
| Standard Tx | 121 | 2.5 (2.1) | 68 (56.2) | 88 (42.2) | 15.6 (4.7) | 28.9 (8.9) | NA | NA | 1.7 (0.6) | 1.6 (0.9) | 1.7 (0.6) | |
| Ogata et al, 2012 [22] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 22 | 3.4 (0.1) | 11 (50) | 87 (25.9) | 13.5 (2.9) | 26.8 (3.3) | NA | 3.7 (0.2) | 1.4 (1.3) | 1.5 (1.2) | 1.1 (1.4) |
| Standard Tx | 26 | 3.5 (0.4) | 13 (50) | 98 (25.9) | 15 (3.6) | 31.5 (6.7) | NA | 3.7 (0.3) | 1.5 (1.2) | 2.2 (1.3) | 1.3 (1.5) | |
| Newburger et al, 2007 [16] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 101 | 2.9 (2.7) | 63 (62.4) | 72 (79.3) | 13.5 (4.6) | 39.4 (13.8) | 65.5 (33.3) | 3.3 (0.6) | 1.1 (1.6) | 1.1 (1.5) | 0.8 (1.0) |
| Standard Tx | 98 | 2.9 (2.1) | 61 (62.2) | 68 (108.9) | 12.9 (5.3) | 39.3 (14.7) | 67.0 (39.3) | 3.3 (0.6) | 1.1 (1.5) | 1.2 (1.5) | 0.9 (1.2) | |
| Inoue et al, 2006 [12] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 90 | 2.4 (1.9) | 51 (56.7) | 89 (49) | 13.9 (3.9) | 35.1 (9.2) | NA | 4 (0.4) | NA | NA | NA |
| Standard Tx | 88 | 2.3 (1.7) | 51 (58) | 91 (51) | 14.7 (4.5) | 35.8 (9.9) | NA | 4 (0.4) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Sundel et al, 2003 [23] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 18 | 5.7 (3.3) | 12 (66.7) | 9.2 (4.6) | 13.6 (4.8) | 40.1 (13.6) | 74.5 (25.6) | 3.2 (0.4) | NA | NA | NA |
| Standard Tx | 21 | 5.4 (2.9) | 15 (71.4) | 11.9 (5.9) | 13.7 (4.9) | 35 (11) | 77 (23.6) | 2.9 (0.6) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Wang et al, 2020 [24] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 40 | 2.1 (1.8) | 28 (70) | 123.1 (69.8) | 18.7 (6.9) | 40.8 (17.7) | NA | 9.5 (1.3) | NA | NA | NA |
| Standard Tx | 40 | 1.8 (1.2) | 28 (70) | 100.4 (56.3) | 16.1 (6.9) | 44.7 (21.1) | NA | 9.3 (1.1) | NA | NA | NA | |
| Miura et al, 2008 [21] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 7 | 2.7 (1.6) | 5 (71.4) | 80 (70) | 12.6 (4.8) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Standard Tx | 8 | 2.6 (2.2) | 5 (62.5) | 56 (48) | 15.1 (4.9) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Miura et al, 2005 [20] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 11 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Standard Tx | 11 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |
| Okada et al, 2003 [13] | Standard Tx + corticosteroids | 14 | 3.1 (2.3) | 8 (57.1) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Standard Tx | 18 | 2.4 (1.9) | 10 (55.6) | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA | |