preview

Symptoms And Treatment Of Kawasaki Disease

Decent Essays
Open Document

What is Kawasaki? Perhaps, your first thought was this is a vehicle. No, I will be discussing about Kawasaki Disease. This is a rare vasculitis, which is inflammation of a blood vessel. This disease may be rare, but is serious. This disease strikes children under the age of five. There is no known cause of Kawasaki, but it is not contagious. “Over 4,000 children develop it each year. 80% of patients are under the age of five.”
What are some of the symptoms? One of the first symptoms is that the patient’s begin with a high fever lasting more than five days. Reports have also said that there will be red eyes, lips and mouth, their tongue will be like a strawberry color, swollen hands and feet and swollen lymph nodes. This disorder affects the mucous membranes, walls of the blood vessels and the heart. The most important aspect of the disease is the heart’s involvement.” This disease can cause inflammation of blood vessels in the coronary arteries, which can lead to aneurysms. Kawasaki is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.”
How can this be diagnosed? With early detection and recognition and treatment full recovery can be expected. “However, 2% of patients die from complications of the coronary blood vessels. Patients who have had Kawasaki should have an echocardiogram every 1-2 years to screen for heart problems.”
Immediate treatment is critical to avoid permanent damage to the coronary arteries and heart. “Standard treatment includes high doses of

Get Access