Kawasaki Disease - Sign And Symptoms

Kawasaki Disease - Sign And Symptoms

It was agreed at an international symposium in Tokyo 10 years ago, a definition for Kawasaki disease was universally agreed upon (Paediatric Infectious Disease Journal 1989; 8:663).

• Fever lasting for at least 5 days
•  Any four of these five conditions

1. Rash
2. Swollen hands and feet
3. Irritation and redness in the whites of the eye
4. Swollen lymph glands in the neck
5. Irritation and inflammation in the mouth lips and throat.

•  Illness not explained by another known disease.

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Some children with Kawasaki disease have diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain. Kawasaki disease might make the child very irritable and unmanageable.

No blood test for Kawasaki disease is available. The diagnosis is based on symptoms. The disease is also called "mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome" because the classic symptoms are in the mucus membranes (lining of the internal organs), skin, and lymph nodes. An ultra sound or a Doppler scan sometimes might be useful in suspecting the disease, as there could be coronary artery involvement. Doctors do not know yet what causes Kawasaki disease. Some doctors think a virus or bacteria may cause it. The illness can last from 2 weeks to a few months. In about 15 to 25 percent of the children with Kawasaki disease, the heart is affected. The coronary arteries or the heart muscle itself may be damaged. Kawasaki disease is not contagious to other children.