Serial changes of serum interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha among patients with Kawasaki disease.

To determine the role of cytokines in Kawasaki disease, serial measurements of serum cytokine levels were done in 60 patients treated solely with aspirin. Coronary artery aneurysms later developed in 12 of them. The results suggest that elevated serum interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 levels during the first week of illness may be associated with a higher risk of coronary aneurysm formation.