Efficacy and safety of infliximab in the treatment of Kawasaki disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Infliximab is a monoclonal antibody specifically binding tumor necrosis factor-alpha and has been approved for the treatment of several inflammatory disorders. However, the efficacy of infliximab in primary treatment of Kawasaki disease (KD) or retreatment of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-resistant KD in children is controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of infliximab alone or in combination with IVIG to IVIG. Eligible randomized and non-randomized trials were retrieved by searching literature databases prior to May 31, 2023. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated for dichotomous variables, and mean difference (MD) with 95% CI was estimated for continuous variables. A total of 14 eligible studies comprising 1257 participants were included. In refractory KD, infliximab alone was associated with a higher effectiveness rate (OR = 4.48, 95% CI 2.67–7.52) and defervescence rate (OR = 5.01, 95% CI 2.99–8.37) and resulted in a 1.08-day-shorter duration of fever (95% CI 0.61–1.55, P < 0.001) and 1.36-day-shorter length of hospital stay (95% CI 0.65–2.08) compared with IVIG. Incidences of coronary artery lesions (CALs), newly developing CALs, and CAL regression did not differ between both groups. For initial treatment of KD, infliximab in addition to IVIG led to a nominally significant higher effectiveness rate (OR = 2.26, 95% CI 1.02–5.01) and a larger reduction of right coronary artery Z score (MD = −0.24, 95% CI −0.27 to −0.21) but did not show additional efficacy in improving other outcomes. The safety profile was similar between both groups.

  Conclusion: The meta-analysis demonstrates that infliximab alone is a well-tolerated and effective treatment for IVIG-resistant KD. The additional efficacy of infliximab to IVIG for initial treatment of KD is limited. More large and high-quality trials are needed to confirm the efficacy of infliximab, especially for intensification of primary treatment for KD.