Kawasaki DiseaseKawasaki disease is a mysterious disease with no known causes. This childhood disease causes swollen lymph nodes, severe rashes and blisters, difficulty with blood vessels, and when not diagnosed and treated and lead to heart trouble. Kawasaki disease is a rare disease occurring only in about 3000 - 4000 cases each year. The disease is typically seen in boys more often than girls. It was first described in Japan and is still more common there. A vasculitis, sometimes involving the coronary arteries that tends to occur in infants and children between ages 1 and 8 yr. It is characterized by prolonged fever, exanthema, conjunctivitis, mucous membrane inflammation, and lymphadenopathy. Patients with fever who appear to have Kawasaki disease but do not meet criteria and have no other cause of their illness are said to have atypical or incomplete Kawasaki disease. The disease also involves the skin, mouth, and lymph nodes, and most often affects kids under age 5, 80% of patients are younger than 5 years of age. The cause is unknown, but if the symptoms are recognized early, kids with Kawasaki disease can fully recover within a few days. Skin rashes may occur early in the disease and peeling of the skin in the genital area, hands, and feet (especially around the nails and on the palms and soles). Fever in Kawasaki’s disease typically lasts 5 days or longer and is high spiking and remittent, with peak temperatures generally above 102 degrees F and sometimes above 104 degrees F. With appropriate treatment, fever usually resolves within 2 days.
Treatment for Kawasaki Disease is most effective if given in the first 10 days of the illness. There are two principal treatments. Treatment is usually with intravenous gamma globulin (purified antibodies). High-dose aspirin is also given to reduce the risk of coronary artery aneurysms. Treatment is usually given in the hospital and a paediatric cardiologist may come to examine your child. Aspirin will also help with the rash and prevent your child's blood from clotting too easily. The dose of aspirin will be reduced after the fever comes down and may be continued for several weeks to reduce the risk of heart problems. Aspirin is used to decrease inflammation and lower fever, as well as prevent blood clots. Read more about Kawasaki disease treatment options. Cure also includes antibiotics and surgery. Treatment should begin as soon as possible, ideally within 10 days of when the fever begins. Usually, a child is treated with intravenous doses of gamma globulin (purified antibodies), an ingredient of blood that helps the body fight infection. Children with the condition get high doses of intravenous immunoglobulin as soon as the diagnosis is made. They're also given very high doses of ASA*. Heart murmurs, arrhythmias and ultrasound abnormalities can be detected. The different layers of the heart can show some grade of inflammation, meaning that pericarditis (inflammation of the sheet surrounding the heart), myocarditis (inflammation of the cardiac muscle) and valve involvement can occur. Heart-related complications can be temporary or may affect the child long-term. Children are typically evaluated with an electrocardiogram (EKG) and sound wave test of the heart (echocardiogram). Other arteries that can become inflamed include the arteries of the lungs, neck, and abdomen. Children who need to take aspirin indefinitely should be vaccinated against chickenpox and influenza. Aspirin therapy also should not be given during the six weeks after a chickenpox vaccine.
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