Kawasaki or Kawasaki-like disease? A debate on COVID-19 infection in children

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an inflammatory syndrome which is generally observed among children. Considering the significant number of COVID-19-positive children presenting with the manifestations of typical/atypical KD, it has been mentioned as a possible complication of COVID-19 infection among the children. However, many of the reported cases do not completely fill the clinical diagnostic criteria, which has made some researchers use the term “Kawasaki-like disease” instead of KD for this state. The current manuscript aims to review the key studies in the field, address the ongoing conflict, and indicate the objective requirements of the further studies.
Highlights • Kawasaki disease (KD) is a form of vasculitis, usually observed among children. • Several COVID-19-positive children have presented typical/atypical KD. • Many of the reported cases do not completely fill the clinical diagnostic criteria of KD. • There is ongoing controversy on whether this is a form of KD or a novel inflammatory syndrome.