20 Facts About Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease is a syndrome of unknown cause that results in a fever and mainly affects children under 5 years of age.

An emerging 'Kawasaki-like' disease temporally associated with COVID-19 appears to be a distinct syndrome.

People who have had coronary artery aneurysms after Kawasaki disease require lifelong cardiological monitoring by specialized teams.

Kawasaki disease often begins with a high and persistent fever that is not very responsive to normal treatment with paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Resolution one to two years after the onset of the Kawasaki disease has been observed in half of vessels with coronary aneurysms.

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Gastrointestinal complications in Kawasaki disease are similar to those observed in Henoch–Schonlein purpura, such as: intestinal obstruction, colon swelling, intestinal ischemia, intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and acute abdomen.

Eye changes associated with the Kawasaki disease have been described since the 1980s, being found as uveitis, iridocyclitis, conjunctival hemorrhage, optic neuritis, amaurosis, and ocular artery obstruction.

Since recurrences are unusual in Kawasaki disease, it is thought that the trigger is more likely to be represented by a single pathogen, rather than a range of viral or bacterial agents.

Seasonal trends in the appearance of new cases of Kawasaki disease have been linked to tropospheric wind patterns, which suggests wind-borne transport of something capable of triggering an immunologic cascade when inhaled by genetically susceptible children.

Infectious conditions that can mimic Kawasaki disease include periorbital cellulitis, peritonsillar abscess, retropharyngeal abscess, cervical lymphadenitis, parvovirus B19, mononucleosis, rheumatic fever, meningitis, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and Lyme disease.

In 2020, reports of a Kawasaki-like disease following exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, emerged in the US and Europe.

Identification of the exact nature of the immune process involved in Kawasaki disease could help guide research aimed at improving clinical management.

Kawasaki disease is considered to be a primary childhood vasculitis, a disorder associated with vasculitis that mainly affects children under the age of 18.

Children with Kawasaki disease should be hospitalized and cared for by a physician who has experience with this disease.

Intravenous immunoglobulin is the standard treatment for Kawasaki disease and is administered in high doses with marked improvement usually noted within 24 hours.

IVIG given within the first 10 days of the Kawasaki disease reduces the risk of damage to the coronary arteries in children, without serious adverse effects.

Additionally, corticosteroid use in the setting of Kawasaki disease is associated with increased risk of coronary artery aneurysm, so its use is generally contraindicated in this setting.

Evidence indicates Kawasaki disease produces altered lipid metabolism that persists beyond the clinical resolution of the disease.

Kawasaki disease affects boys more than girls, with people of Asian ethnicity, particularly Japanese people.

Currently, Kawasaki disease is the most commonly diagnosed pediatric vasculitis in the world.