retrospective study published in Pediatrics revealed that children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease often have a concurrent respiratory viral infection detectable by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Kawasaki disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of medium-sized arteries throughout the body, including the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Researchers reported that, of 222 patients with KD admitted to the hospital, 192 (86%) had a respiratory viral PCR test performed on or shortly after admission. Ninety-three (41.9%) of the 192 patients with KD had a positive respiratory viral PCR, and the majority were positive for rhinovirus/enterovirus.

Concurrent detection of a respiratory virus by PCR does not appear to be linked to the clinical presentation or outcomes of children with Kawasaki disease.