Supervisory team
LSHTM
Nagasaki University
- Lead: Dr. Lina Madaniyazi (lina.madaniyazi@nagasaki-u.ac.jp)
- Dr. Ramita Thawonmas (ramita.thawonmas@nagasaki-u.ac.jp)
- Dr. Aurelio Tobias (aurelio.tobias@nagasaki-u.ac.jp)
Project
Kawasaki Disease (KD) is an acute and self-limited febrile illness of childhood with unknown etiology since its first discovery by Dr Tomisaku Kawasaki in Japan in 1967.1 Its incidence in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan is higher than in other locations.2 Despite decades of research, little is known about the clinical ethiologic pathways of KD. However, there is a hypothesis suggesting that KD occurs when genetically predisposed individuals are exposed to certain environmental triggers.2
While several studies have explored the link between environmental stressors and KD,3-5 the evidence so far remains inconclusive. Given the global rise in KD cases, there is an urgent need to investigate and understand the impact of environmental stresses on KD.
This project is anchored within the recently established Kawasaki Disease and Environmental Stressors (KES) consortium, led by Lina Madaniyazi. The consortium brings together experts from various institutioins in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Utilizing the data collected through this consortium, this project aims to identify environmental risk factors associated with KD and to quantify its short-term effect across multiple communities in East Asia by the state-of-the art statistical models. A specific focus will be set on analyzing the seasonality of KD,6 and investigating its association with different meteorological factors and extreme weather events, such as Asian dust storms, This will be conducted by using a time series study design.
References:
1. Burns JC, et al. Kawasaki disease: A brief history. Pediatrics 2000; 106.
2. Watts RA, et al. Global epidemiology of vasculitis. Nature Reviews Rheumatology 2021 18:1 2021; 18: 22–34.
3. Rodó X, et al. Tropospheric winds from northeastern China carry the etiologic agent of Kawasaki disease from its source to Japan. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111: 7952–7.
4. Rodó X, et al. Revisiting the role of environmental and climate factors on the epidemiology of Kawasaki disease. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2016; 1382: 84–98.
5. Jung CR, et al. Ambient air pollutant exposures and hospitalization for Kawasaki disease in Taiwan: A case-crossover study (2000–2010). Environ Health Perspect 2017; 125: 670–6.
6. Madaniyazi Lina, et al. "Assessing seasonality and the role of its potential drivers in environmental epidemiology: a tutorial." International Journal of Epidemiology 2022; 13;51(5):1677-16
The role of LSHTM and NU in this collaborative project
The student will be located primarily in Nagasaki, with at least six months at LSHTM, for training, data analysis, and supervisory input.
The Nagasaki team will provide a platform for collecting data on environmental factors and Kawasaki diseases, as well as a detailed training programme and methodological supervisions.
LSHTM will guide on the spatial analysis and additionally provide experience with the environmental epidemiological studies.
Particular prior educational requirements for a student undertaking this project
deally, the student would possess a Master’s level qualification in public health, epidemiology, or statistics. However, candidates with another Master’s level qualification, as long as it includes a robust epidemiological and/or statistical component, will also be considered.
Additionally, experience working with programming languages such as Stata or R is highly desirable.
Skills we expect a student to develop/acquire whilst pursuing this project
The student will acquire knowledge in environmental epidemiology, advanced statistical modelling techniques, and climate health. They will gain valuable experience in working with data related to environmental and health factors.