High incidence of adrenal suppression in children with Kawasaki disease treated with intravenous immunoglobulin plus prednisolone

Results Morning cortisol and ACTH values after the cessation of prednisolone treatment were suppressed. Peak cortisol values at the first CRH stimulation test ranged from 5.1 to 25.4 mcg/dL and were less than 20 mcg/dL in 17 of 21 patients, but were restored to more than 14.6 mcg/dL in all of them by 6 months after the prednisolone treatment. A significant positive correlation was observed between cortisol values at 09:00 after the prednisolone treatment and peak cortisol values at the following CRH stimulation test (r = 0.770, p < 0.0001).