Does Vitamin C improve endothelial function in patients with Kawasaki disease?

BACKGROUND

Improvement of endothelial dysfunction could prevent or delay the occurrence of the atherosclerosis process in patients with Kawasaki disease (KD). It is suggested that Vitamin C could improve endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we investigated whether administration of Vitamin C as a water-soluble antioxidant could be effective in this regard among patients with KD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this case control analytic-experimental study, children aged 3-18 years with KD, and a group of healthy children evaluated. Vitamin C (250 mg/daily) administrated for the two studied groups for 1 month. Endothelial function evaluated by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and intima-media thickness (IMT) measurement using vascular Doppler ultrasonography, before and after trial.

RESULTS

In this study, 16 patients with KD and 19 normal children were studied. At baseline mean of IMT and FMD was not different in the two studied groups (P > 0.05). After Vitamin C administration IMT decreased significantly in two studied groups (from 27.06 ± 6.27 to 21.56 ± 3.77 in KD group and from 27.66 ± 5.66 to 23.33 ± 3.66 in control group [P < 0.05]). FMD increased in two studied groups, but the difference was significant in the control group (from 6.84 ± 2.51 to 7.03 ± 2.87 in KD group and from 6.53 ± 2.36 to 7.82 ± 2.14 in the control group).

CONCLUSION

Vitamin C might improve the endothelial function of patients with KD.