**Abstract**

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a rare and often undiagnosed disease, at least in the western countries. Although its etiology remains unidentified, epidemiological features point to the role of infection and genetic predisposition. KD is characterized by an inflammatory acute febrile vasculitis. Coronary artery involvement is the most important complication of KD and may cause significant coronary stenosis resulting in ischemic heart disease. It has been demonstrated that the major risks in KD progression are the endothelial dysfunction and that systemic oxidative stress together with premature aging of red blood cells and alteration of platelet homeostasis, could play a critical role in the cardiovascular complications associated with KD. This chapter will focus on the role of oxidative stress in endothelial damage and on circulating blood cells of KD patients.

**Keywords:** etiology, oxidative stress, inflammation, biomarkers, red blood cells, platelets
