Parenting Forums

Posted: 02 January 2007 at 9:36pm | IP Logged

what is kawasaki disease

kawasaki disease is a childrens illness,its also known as kawasaki syndrome or mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, it and acute rheumatic fever are the two leading causes of acquired heart disease in children in the united states.

who gets kawasaki disease?

about 80%of the people with kawasaki disease are under 5, children over 8 are rarely affected. the disease occur more often among boys amd among those of asian ancestry but it can occur in every racial and ethnic group. over4,000cases of kawasaki disease are being diagnosed annually in the u.s

what happens to these with kawasaki disease

symptoms.

. fever

. rash

.swollen hands and feet

.irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes

.swollen lymph glands in the neck

. irritation and inflammation of mouth, lips and throat

doctors dont know cause of kawasaki disease but it dosent seem to be hereditary or contagious .

in as many as 15-20%of the children with kawasaki disease the heart is affected the coronary arteries or the heart muscle itself can be damaged

how does kd affect the heart

part of the coronary wall can be weakened and balloon an a aneurysm. a blood clot can form in the weakened area and block the artery, sometimes leading to a heart attack, the anerusm can also burst but this rarely happens

how is kd treated?

even though the cause of kd is unknown certain medicines are known to help asprin is often used to reduce fever , rash, joint inflammation and pain and to help prevent blood clots from forming, another medicine intravenous gamma globulin can decrease the risk of developing coronary artery abnormalities when given early in illness

thank you for reading this sorry that it is so long but i just want more people to recognise this illness.

this is the disease that josh got when he was only 14 wks