Definition of Kawasaki disease
Kawasaki disease: A disease that has nothing to do with the motor bike of the same name but is a syndrome of unknown origin that mainly affects young children, causing fever, reddening of the eyes
(conjunctivitis),
lips and mucous membranes of the mouth, ulcerative gum disease
(gingivitis), swollen
glands in the neck (cervical lymphadenopathy) and a rash that is
raised and bright red
(maculoerythematous) in a glove-and-sock fashion over the skin of the
hands and feet which
becomes hard, swollen (edematous) and peels off. Also called the
mucocutaneous lymph node
syndrome.
The classic diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki disease are:
- Both eyes are red, usually without drainage or crusting.
- Lips and mouth are often bright red, and the top layer of the tongue peels off, leaving the tongue red and glossy.
- Hands and feet may be red and swollen. In the second week, skin under the fingernails and toenails begins to peel.
- A rash is usually present and often worse in the groin area.
- Lymph nodes in the neck may be swollen.
However, some children with Kawasaki disease do not fulfill these classic criteria and yet are at risk for developing coronary artery aneurysms, an abnormal ballooning of a coronary vessel. Children with Kawasaki disease who are not treated within the first week to 10 days of the onset of fever have five times the risk of developing coronary artery aneurysms.
The name of mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome is quite
descriptive because the disease is characterized by the typical
changes in the mucus membranes that line the lips and mouth and by
the enlarged and tender lymph glands. The syndrome was first
described in the late 1960's in Japan by the pediatrician Tomisaku
Kawasaki.
Kawasaki disease affects the vascular system, and is now
the main cause of acquired heart disease in children. It is most
common in people of Asian descent, and is both more common and more
deadly in males.
Treatment is usually with with high-dose intravenous gamma globulin, also called intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG),
Last Editorial Review: 10/25/2004Common Misspellings: kawasaki diease, kawasaki desease
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