Kawasaki disease is a collection of symptoms caused by vasculitis. What causes the inflammation in Kawasaki disease remains unknown. It is most likely an abnormal response by the immune system of some children to a common germ. Kawasaki disease is not contagious to other children.
The exact cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown. Because it causes a high fever and swelling of the lymph nodes, Kawasaki disease is thought to be related to an infection. It may occur in children who have a genetic predisposition to the disease. The disease is not contagious.
No one knows what causes Kawasaki disease, but scientists don't believe the disease is contagious from person to person. Some think that Kawasaki disease happens after a bacterial or viral infection, or that it's linked to other environmental factors.
Kawasaki disease can't be prevented. Children can make a full recovery within 6 to 8 weeks if it's diagnosed and treated promptly, but complications can develop. It's important to see a GP and start treatment as soon as possible. Read more about diagnosing Kawasaki disease.
Age: Kawasaki disease mostly affects children younger than 5. Sex: Boys are slightly more likely than girls to develop Kawasaki disease. Ethnicity: Kawasaki disease is more common in people of Asian or Pacific Island descent.
Doctors consider it to be a type of vasculitis. The condition is named after the Japanese doctor who first identified it in 1967. Kawasaki disease is rare, with fewer than 300 cases per year across Australia.
Survival ranged from 92% to 99% at 10 years, 85% to 99% at 20 years, and 88% to 94% at 30 years. MACE-free survival, mostly studied in those with CAA, varied from 66% to 91% at 10 years, 29% to 74% at 20 years, and 36% to 96% at 30 years.
Long-term effects of Kawasaki disease, however, can include heart valve issues, abnormal heartbeat rhythm, inflammation of the heart muscle, and aneurysms (bulges in blood vessels). These lasting heart conditions are rare. Less than 2% of patients experience coronary artery enlargement that carries over into adulthood.
Autopsy findings have shown varying degrees of inflammatory changes in brain vasculature, which are usually less extensive than coronary artery involvement. Aseptic meningitis is also seen in patients with Kawasaki disease,7 although it is not thought to cause any long-term sequelae.
The course of Kawasaki disease can be divided into three clinical phases: acute, subacute and convalescent.
Kawasaki disease (KD), particularly its severe form – Kawasaki disease shock syndrome (KDSS) – is rare in adults. Some recent reports have shown that COVID-19 is associated with the appearance of cases of Kawasaki-like disease (KLD), particularly in children.
Kawasaki disease (KD) occurs most often in children from one to three years of age. It is a common systemic vasculitis that is rare in children older than eight years of age or younger than six months of age; however, it may occur in these age groups.
Your child's hands and feet may swell up, and the skin on their hands and feet may become red or hard. Your child may feel their hands and feet are tender and painful to touch or put weight on, so they may be reluctant to walk or crawl while these symptoms persist.
Genetics. The children who develop Kawasaki disease may be genetically predisposed to it. This means the genes they inherit from their parents may make them more likely to get the condition.
In the United States and other Western countries, Kawasaki disease occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 children under 5 each year. The condition is 10 to 20 times more common in East Asia, including Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
A number of epidemiological and clinical observations suggest that KD is caused by an infectious agent, with suggestions ranging from Staphylococci, Streptococci, Mycoplasma, or Chlamydia (1–4), to viruses such as adenovirus, parvovirus, or Epstein-Barr virus (5–7).
The most feared complication of KD is coronary artery abnormality development, and patients with atypical KD are also at risk. Administration of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin has greatly reduced the incidence of coronary lesions in affected children.
Without prompt treatment, Kawasaki disease can damage the coronary arteries and the heart muscle itself in as many as 1 in 4 children. Over the first few weeks, a weakening of a coronary artery can result in enlargement of the vessel wall (aneurysm).
As they recover, it is not uncommon for these children to be extra tired or seem "off" for several weeks. Rest is very important. Peeling of skin the hands and feet is expected and is not cause for alarm. Call your doctor right away if your child develops a fever or any of the other symptoms of Kawasaki Disease return.
Recurrence of Kawasaki disease is very rare (less than one per cent of cases). It is more common for a child who had previous Kawasaki disease to have peeling of the hands and feet when they become unwell with other infections. This is not usually a recurrence of Kawasaki disease, but it can worry families.
Kawasaki disease is not well understood and the cause is yet unknown. It may be an autoimmune disorder. The problem affects the mucous membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels, and the heart.
Kawasaki disease is a rare illness that usually affects small children. Other names for it are Kawasaki syndrome and mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. It is a type of vasculitis, which is inflammation of the blood vessels. Kawasaki disease is serious, but most children can fully recover if they are treated right away.
There is no single test for Kawasaki disease, and diagnosis can be difficult. The diagnosis is made by recognising the symptoms and signs of the disease in a child who has an ongoing fever with no other likely explanation. Blood tests may be helpful, but no single blood test is able to provide a diagnosis.
Even when residing in the West, East Asian children are 10 to 20 times more likely to develop KD than children of other ethnic backgrounds.
Clinical signs include fever, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck, and irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat. Kawasaki disease primarily affects children younger than 5 years of age.