Kawasaki disease

Overview

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a self-limiting pediatric systemic vasculitis with a preference for the coronary arteries. KD mostly affects children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years. Asians have up to a 20-fold greater incidence rate than Caucasians. The cause of KD is unknown. One plausible open hypothesis is that KD is caused by an infectious pathogen that causes an autoimmune illness exclusively in people who are genetically susceptible to it.

A young kid with KD often has a high swinging fever for five or more days that persists after antibiotic and/or antipyretic therapy. The lips are cracked and dry. There is a strawberry tongue and generalized erythema of the oropharyngeal mucosal surfaces. Lymphadenopathy is almost often unilateral and limited to the anterior cervical triangle.

Coronary aneurysms most commonly occur during the convalescence period (beginning during the second week). Because there are no laboratory tests for KD, the diagnosis is determined only on the presence of a constellation of clinical symptoms. Echocardiography is used to determine the existence of coronary artery dilatation or aneurysm development. Most individuals with acute KD can benefit from effective therapy, although the precise mechanisms of action are unknown.