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Kawasaki disease, also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is an inflammation of the blood vessels that is most common in children.\u00a0About 75%<\/a>\u00a0of Kawasaki disease cases occur in kids younger than five years old.<\/p>\n Overall, the disease is very rare, affecting between\u00a09 and 19<\/a>\u00a0out of every 100,000 children under the age of five in the US. The disease is\u00a0most common in Japan<\/a>, where it affects\u00a0308<\/a>\u00a0out of every 100,000 children under age 5.<\/p>\n With treatment, most kids with Kawasaki disease can make a full recovery, says\u00a0Daniel S. Ganjian<\/a>, MD, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.<\/p>\n However, Kawasaki disease is\u00a0the leading cause of acquired heart disease<\/a>\u00a0in American kids. Even among kids who get treatment for Kawasaki disease,4% to 6%<\/a>\u00a0will develop\u00a0coronary artery aneurysms<\/a>, a condition that affects the arteries around the heart.<\/p>\n Many of these aneurysms\u00a0resolve themselves<\/a>\u00a0within two years. In rare cases, the cardiac complications from Kawasaki disease can lead to life-long heart disease or sudden death.<\/p>\n Here’s what you need to know to recognize and treat this rare condition if you’re concerned about your child.<\/p>\n The first stage, which can last through weeks 1 and 2, includes the following symptoms:<\/p>\n High fever (between 100 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit) which lasts for five days or more<\/p>\n Rash on the torso<\/p>\n Bloodshot eyes and “strawberry tongue,” a bright red tongue<\/p>\n Swollen hands and swollen lymph nodes<\/p>\n Discomfort in the mouth, throat or abdomen<\/p>\n The second stage, which usually lasts from weeks 2 through 6 after fever begins, can include symptoms like:<\/p>\n Joint pain<\/p>\n Belly ache<\/p>\n Diarrhea<\/p>\n Vomiting<\/p>\n Symptoms will usually resolve within three months, but if the disease is not treated, children may experience serious complications, such as coronary artery aneurysms, which are\u00a0diagnosed<\/a>\u00a0using hospital imaging.<\/p>\n \n There’s no specific diagnostic test for Kawasaki disease, so it’s diagnosed based on a child’s symptoms and a physical exam, including inflammatory markers throughout the body, Ganjian says.<\/p>\n And since the early symptoms\u00a0 \u2014 fever and rash \u2014 can mimic many other childhood diseases, like hand foot and mouth disease, diagnosis can be difficult.<\/p>\n “It’s so frequent that kids get high fevers and rash,” Ganjian said. He recommends going to a children’s hospital or trusted pediatrician if you are concerned about your child.<\/p>\n If the fever has persisted for five days, or the child has symptoms like red, cracked lips and a strawberry tongue or bloodshot eyes, you should seek medical attention.<\/p>\n The cause for Kawasaki disease isn’t known, but\u00a0doctors suspect that it’s caused by infection<\/a>, or by the body’s immune response to infection.<\/p>\n It’s most common in Japan, and in America, it occurs most often\u00a0in children of Asian heritage<\/a>, especially of Japanese and Korean heritage, Owusu-Ansah says.<\/p>\n Genetics can also play a role in who develops Kawasaki disease. A\u00a02019 study<\/a>\u00a0found that genetic variations, including in the\u00a0ACE gene<\/a>, which controls enzyme production, increase susceptibility to the disease.<\/p>\n Boys are\u00a0twice as likely<\/a>\u00a0as girls to have Kawasaki disease. Boys whose parents had the disease are more likely to have it themselves, says\u00a0Leo Nissola<\/a>, MD, an immunology scholar at The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.<\/p>\n Preliminary\u00a0studies<\/a>\u00a0have found that some children who test positive for COVID-19 are also exhibiting symptoms of Kawasaki disease.<\/p>\n A\u00a02020 article<\/a>\u00a0published in The Lancet noted a “30-fold increased incidence of Kawasaki-like disease” at one Italian medical center before and during the pandemic. And similar\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0of increased cases of a Kawasaki-like disease have also come out of the US.<\/p>\n However, there are also key differences. The children in the Italian study were slightly older than is usual with Kawasaki disease. And the racial differences that are typical with Kawasaki disease have not been present.<\/p>\n “We don’t want to call it Kawasaki, because then providers are looking for Asians or really young kids, and missing other cases,” Ganjian explains.<\/p>\n If you believe your child is displaying symptoms of Kawasaki disease, seek medical advice from your pediatrician or the emergency room at a children’s hospital.<\/p>\n “If your child has manifested a fever and you noticed that it is lasting more than a couple of days, you need to seek medical help,” Nissola says. “Keep your eye out for unusual symptoms, like pink eyes, swollen tongue, redness in the hand or feet, rashes in the body, and swollen lymph nodes around the neck.”<\/p>\n To treat Kawasaki disease, doctors will take action to reduce inflammation in the swollen blood vessels.<\/p>\n Parents should not try treating suspected Kawasaki disease or PIMS at home. Only a doctor will be able to administer the following treatment methods:<\/p>\n Intravenous immunoglobulin<\/strong>.\u00a0IVIG<\/a>\u00a0treatment infuses immunoglobulin \u2014 antibodies derived from plasma donations \u2014 into the blood. These antibodies\u00a0help regulate<\/a>\u00a0the body’s immune response, to reduce and prevent further inflammation.<\/p>\n Aspirin<\/strong>. Small doses of aspirin can be used to reduce inflammation and pain for children. Your doctor will advise the right amount for your child.<\/p>\n Steroids<\/strong>. Steroids can also\u00a0help reduce inflammation,<\/a>\u00a0Ganjian says, which your doctor may choose to prescribe.<\/p>\n Before IVIG treatment,\u00a020% to 25%<\/a>\u00a0of kids with Kawasaki disease developed coronary artery aneurysms, but with the treatment, only 4% to 6% of children will develop this complication.<\/p>\nSymptoms<\/h2>\n
<\/div>Later stages<\/h3>\n
Diagnosis<\/h2>\n
Causes<\/h2>\n
Kawasaki disease and COVID-19<\/h2>\n
Treatment<\/h2>\n