Patients with Kawasaki disease had higher levels of plasma IL-17A (25.35 ± 3.21 vs 7.78 ± 1.78 pg/ml, P < 0.001) and IL-6 (152.29 ± 21.94 vs 38.63 ± 12.40 pg/ml, P < 0.001) when compared to the febrile control group.
Kawasaki disease vasculitis may be triggered by aberrant activation of inflammatory cytokines mediated by IL-17 that is produced by Th17 cells that have been activated by some infectious agent(s).
Our data demonstrate that Th17 proportions and expression levels of cytokines (IL-17, IL-6 and IL-23) and transcription factors (IL-17A/F, ROR-γt) were up-regulated significantly, while T(reg) proportions and expression levels of T(reg ) transcription factor (FoxP3) were down-regulated significantly in children with acute KD (P<0·01).