provides a comprehensive look at
the who, what, when and how of Kawasaki disease
< b>Kawasaki disease: A disease that has nothing to do with the motor bike
of the same name but is a syndrome of unknown origin that mainly affects young children,
causing fever, reddening of the eyes (conjunctivitis), lips and mucous membranes
of the mouth, ulcerative gum disease (gingivitis), swollen glands in the neck (cervical
lymphadenopathy) and a rash that is raised and bright red (maculoerythematous) in
a glove-and-sock fashion over the skin of the hands and feet which becomes hard,
swollen (edematous) and peels off. Also called the mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.
The classic diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki disease are:
Both eyes are red, usually without drainage or crusting.
Lips and mouth are often bright red, and the top layer of the tongue peels
off, leaving the tongue red and glossy.
Hands and feet may be red and swollen. In the second week, skin under the
fingernails and toenails begins to peel.
A rash is usually present and often worse in the groin area.
Lymph nodes in the neck may be swollen.
However, some children with Kawasaki disease do not fulfill these classic criteria
and yet are at risk for developing coronary artery aneurysms, an abnormal ballooning
of a coronary vessel. Children with Kawasaki disease who are not treated within
the first week to 10 days of the onset of fever have five times the risk of developing
coronary artery aneurysms.
The name of mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome is quite descriptive because the
disease is characterized by the typical changes in the mucus membranes that line
the lips and mouth and by the enlarged and tender lymph glands. The syndrome was
first described in the late 1960's in Japan by the pediatrician Tomisaku Kawasaki.
Kawasaki disease affects the vascular system, and is now the main cause of acquired
heart disease in children. It is most common in people of Asian descent, and is
both more common and more deadly in males.
Treatment is usually with with high-dose intravenous gamma globulin, also called
intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG),
Common Misspellings: kawasaki diease, kawasaki desease
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