{
  "abstract": "Objective: Elevated red cell distribution width (RDW) may indicate an increased risk of coronary artery lesion (CAL) during the acute phase of Kawasaki disease (KD). This meta-analysis aimed to assess the predictive performance of RDW for CAL in children with KD.\n\nMethods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for studies published until October 2025 that examined RDW’s role in predicting CAL in KD. Two researchers independently screened studies, extracted data, and evaluated study quality using the QUADAS-2 tool. Statistical analysis was conducted with STATA 15.1. Substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies, and meta-regression was performed to explore potential sources.\n\nResults: Eight retrospective studies involving 3,058 KD patients were included; among them, 1,126 (36.82%) developed CAL. The meta-analysis showed that RDW-CV had a sensitivity of 0.64 (95% CI: 0.55–0.73) and specificity of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.73–0.92); the DOR was 9.67 (95% CI: 3.67–24.81). The PLR and NLR were found to be 4.10 (95% CI: 2.11–7.94) and 0.42 (95% CI: 0.31–0.58), respectively; SROC analysis indicated an area under the curve of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74–0.81).\n\nConclusion: RDW-CV demonstrates moderate diagnostic performance for predicting CAL in children with KD. It may serve as a complementary and readily available biomarker, particularly when used in combination with other clinical and laboratory parameters, rather than as a standalone predictor. Given the substantial heterogeneity across studies, future prospective research with standardized protocols is warranted.\n\nSupplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-026-07510-1.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of emergency, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 Sichuan China",
    "Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, 610041 China",
    "Department of pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Fajuan Tang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shanshan Wu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xiaoyan Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chengshuang Huang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Lina Qiao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Lingli Pan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dt1zvfmwmnrm8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12887-026-07510-1",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13746568/",
  "id": "dt1zvfmwmnrm8",
  "issns": [
    "1471-2431"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-026-07510-1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Systematic Review"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2735|Kawasaki Disease and Coronary Complications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7202169796",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13746568",
  "pmid": "43000321",
  "published": "2026-08-12",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dt1zvfmwmnrm8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-11T12:23:55Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13746568",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-026-07510-1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2735|Kawasaki Disease and Coronary Complications",
      "subfield": "reproductive-child"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The predictive performance of RDW for coronary artery lesions in children with Kawasaki disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "title_text": "The predictive performance of RDW for coronary artery lesions in children with Kawasaki disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-13T12:22:57Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dt1zvfmwmnrm8",
  "venue": "BMC Pediatrics",
  "versions": []
}