抄録
In order to investigate the myocardial damage in Kawasaki disease (KD), we determined light chains of human cardiac myosin in the blood by the dot-blotting method and the ELISA method, using the monoclonal antibodies specific for light chains of human cardiac myosin.
In the acute phase of patients with KD, levels of myosin light chains in the blood were approximately 4 to 8 times higher than normal controls in the dot-blotting method. This change was found in about 30% of patients. In the ELISA method, patients with high levels of myosin light chains (over 1 ng/ml) were about 15%.
In the chronic phase about 80% of the patients with high levels returned to normal control level, but about 20% of them were still high levels as compared with normal controls in the dot-blotting method. In the ELISA method, about 80% of the patients with high levels returned to normal control level, but the remaining patients were still detectable.
These results suggest that some patients with KD show the long-term release of myosin light chains resulted from the damage of heart muscle and/or skeletal muscle.
We conclude that the long term evaluation of myocardial damage should be necessary in the patients with KD.
