Usefulness of Age-Stratified N-Terminal Prohormone of Brain Natriuretic Peptide for Diagnosing Kawasaki Disease

N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was recently reported as a biomarker for diagnosing Kawasaki disease (KD). The basal NT-proBNP level, however, gradually decreases with age. We investigated the usefulness of an age-stratified cutoff value of NT-proBNP for diagnosing KD. All the patients enrolled in this study visited Chonnam National University Hospital between December 2007 and March 2016. The KD groups consisted of 214 patients with complete KD and 129 patients with incomplete KD. The control group included 62 children with simple febrile illness but without heart disease. Laboratory data including NT-proBNP level were evaluated. Each group was divided into subgroups according to patient age (<6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, and >24 months), and different cutoff values of NT-proBNP were calculated. The cutoff values of NT-proBNP used to diagnose total KD and incomplete KD were 762 and 762 pg/mL (<6 months), 310 and 310 pg/mL (6-12 months), 326 and 326 pg/mL (12-24 months), and 208 and 137 pg/mL (>24 months), respectively. In conclusion, age-stratified NT-proBNP is a useful biomarker for the differential diagnosis of KD in patients with a simple febrile illness.