LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Kawasaki Disease: United States
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Although Kawasaki disease can occur in community outbreaks, particularly in the winter and early spring, no one knows the cause. The peak age of occurrence in the United States is between six months and five years. Evidence suggests that Kawasaki disease may be linked to a yet-to-be identified infectious agent, such as a virus or bacteria. However, despite intense research, no bacteria, virus, or toxin has been identified as a cause of the disease. No specific test makes the diagnosis. The diagnosis is established by fulfilling the signs of illness mentioned above and by excluding other possible diseases.
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The initiating etiology of Kawasaki disease remains unknown. Many organisms and exposures (e.g., chemical, heavy metals) have been offered up over the years, only to become discarded after subsequent studies. Recent theories that superantigen-producing microbes were causative ... now seem unlikely. IgA-plasma cells infiltrating coronary artery walls are oligoclonal, consistent with response to a conventional antigen. [10] The process likely represents a post-infectious inflammatory state. The rarity of the disease in young infants and adults suggests a relatively ubiquitous infection may initiate the process.
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Kawasaki disease is fairly common in the United States. According to the American Heart Association, the illness is a major cause of heart disease in children. About 4,000 cases occur in the United States each year, and the incidence is on the rise. Kawasaki disease has replaced acute rheumatic fever as the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the United States and Japan.
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Kawasaki disease was first described in Japan in 1967. It is a distinctive clinical illness that is characterized by fever, redness of the eyes, diffuse red rash, redness and swelling of the hands and feet, as well as enlarged non-tender lymph nodes in the neck. Kawasaki disease is now the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the United States. Rheumatic fever used to be the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.
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Kawasaki disease occurs primarily in infants and children between the ages of 18 months and two years, but is ... diagnosed in adults as old as 34 years. Children of Japanese and Korean descent have a higher incidence of Kawasaki disease, but it can affect all racial and ethnic groups. Approximately 2,000 cases occur each year in the United States, with twice as many boys affected as girls.
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Kawasaki disease is best known for damage to cardiovascular system. It was first described in Japan in 1967. Also known as the mucotutaneous lymph node syndrome it is, currently, a leading cause of acquired heart disease in the United States.
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