LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Kawasaki Disease
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Kawasaki Disease is a rare vasculitis, which strikes children. In the U.S. over 4,200 children are diagnosed with it each year. 80% of patients are under the age of five. Patients usually begin with a fever that lasts at least five days, despite fever medications.
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Kawasaki Disease is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in the developed world. It is most common in Japan followed by USA, UK and Australia. Japanese immigrants to various countries retain their high incidence rates suggesting a genetic predisposition. It seems to be a rare diagnosis in developing countries or at least under reported.
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Figures 1 through 4 used with permission from Committee on Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease of the AHA's Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young. Diagnostic guidelines for Kawasaki disease. Dallas: American Heart Association, 1993. Copyright American Heart Association.
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Kawasaki Diseaseis considered a self-limited disease -- after a period of time and even without medical consultation, the symptoms often resolve and the patient recovers. Without medical consultation... potential serious complications may develop andmaynot be recognized.
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Treatment for Kawasaki Disease is most effective if given in the first 10 days of the illness. There are two principal treatments. Intravenous gamma globulin (IVIG) is used to shorten the acute phase of Kawasaki disease and prevent some coronary damage. Aspirin is used to decrease inflammation and lower fever, as well as prevent blood clots. Read more about Kawasaki disease treatment options.
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Children who have siblings, especially twins, with Kawasaki’s disease have a higher disease risk than other children. Because children with a parent who had Kawasaki’s disease as a child ... have a higher disease risk, genetic factors are suspected of contributing to disease development.
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Kawasaki Disease