Serum hepatocyte growth factor combined with vascular endothelial growth factor as a predictive indicator for the occurrence of coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki disease

We investigated the possible use of serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels as a predictive indicator for the occurrence of coronary artery lesions (CAL) in Kawasaki disease (KD). Serum HGF and VEGF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 41 patients with KD and 25 afebrile controls. Serum HGF levels of patients in the acute phase of KD were significantly higher than those of afebrile controls (Pc<0.05) and decreased to lower levels during recovery (P<0.0001). Univariate analysis showed significant correlations between occurrence of CAL and five variables: duration of fever (P=0.018), serum C-reactive protein concentration (P=0.024), albumin concentration (P=0.009), serum VEGF level (P=0.009) and serum HGF level (P=0.035). Furthermore, multivariate analysis revealed that serum HGF and VEGF levels and presence of oedema were major risk factors for the occurrence of CAL. For prediction of the development of CAL, we established a new risk classification system with these three variables, which showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 94.4%. Conclusion: these data show that hepatocyte growth factor, together with vascular endothelial growth factor, might play an important role in the pathophysiology of Kawasaki disease and their serum levels could be a powerful predictor for the development of coronary artery lesions.