The study investigates the prevalence of giant aneurysms (GiAn) and Kawasaki disease (KD) research trends across 16 Arab countries over a span of 45 years, revealing a 30% annual growth rate in KD publications.
It finds that while UAE, KSA, and Egypt produced the majority of KD research, developing nations lag behind, and highlights significant issues like initial misdiagnosis and incomplete cases contributing to an underestimated epidemiology.
The review emphasizes the need for strategic initiatives to improve KD research and collaboration among Arab countries to better understand and address these health challenges.
- Kawasaki disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children from developed countries, necessitating detailed studies within Arab nations to enhance diagnosis and care.
- Kawarabi is a collaborative initiative involving North American and Arab experts aimed at improving knowledge and management of KD and similar conditions, primarily initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic's emergence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
- Founded in 2021, Kawarabi has identified gaps in awareness and resources concerning KD in Arab countries, and it has organized educational webinars and meetings to promote better understanding of the disease and its long-term outcomes.
- Kawasaki Disease (KD) remains the leading acquired heart disease in children under five, with limited data available from Arab nations, prompting the creation of the KD Arab Initiative (Kawarabi) in 2021 to enhance research and access to care.
- A survey conducted across thirteen Arab countries revealed that while access to KD care was generally equal in urban and rural areas for over half of the countries surveyed, many rural areas still experienced significant disparities in healthcare access, especially in mid-size cities.
- The survey indicated a difference in the quality of medical services for KD, with urban children receiving better care, and highlighted that the availability of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) was critically low in rural and mid-size areas,