A child with Kawasaki disease has a high temperature that lasts for 5 days or longer, and possibly 1 or more of the following symptoms:. After a few weeks, and with the correct treatment, the symptoms become less severe, but it can take longer than this in some children.
Read more about the symptoms of Kawasaki disease. See a GP urgently, or call if you can't speak to a GP, if your child has a persistent high temperature and 1 or more symptoms of Kawasaki disease.
If your baby is less than 1 year old, it's even more important to see a GP or call straight away. The symptoms of Kawasaki disease can be similar to those of other conditions that cause a fever in children.
Kawasaki disease can't be prevented. When symptoms are noticed early and treated, kids with Kawasaki disease begin to feel better within a few days.
Kawasaki disease has telltale symptoms and signs that appear in phases. The first phase, which can last for up to 2 weeks, usually involves a fever that lasts for at least 5 days. Doctors can treat the symptoms of Kawasaki disease when it's caught early. Most kids will feel better within a few days of starting treatment. If the condition isn't found until later, patients can have serious complications that affect the heart, such as:.
Doctors don't know what causes Kawasaki disease. They believe it doesn't spread from person to person. It's most common among children of Japanese and Korean descent, but can affect any child. Over time, the inflammation in the vessel goes away but the aneurysm stays.
Aneurysms can cause serious problems later, most notably blood clots. When treatment begins within 10 days of the start of the disease, there is little risk of blood vessel and heart problems. It is not known what causes the disease. The immune system may be reacting to an unknown virus or there might be a genetic link in families. There is no way to prevent Kawasaki Disease. It is not contagious. It cannot be spread from one person to another.
Over the next several days not all at once , these other key signs may occur:. Most children with Kawasaki Disease are also very irritable and fussy. However, not all children have all of these signs. Both forms can cause damage to blood vessels if not treated right away. There is no single test to know if a child has Kawasaki Disease.
The diagnosis is considered when the child has:. If Kawasaki Disease is suspected, the child will be hospitalized right away. In the hospital, the doctor may order tests to check the health of his or her heart. Most children fully recover without any damage to the blood vessels if treatment is started within 10 days. In the hospital, the child will be given:. It is common that a child will feel irritable and tired for many weeks before getting back to normal.
Without medical evaluation and treatment however, serious complications may develop and not be initially recognized. Kawasaki disease more commonly affects children younger than 5 years old, with the majority of children being less than 2 years old.
Kawasaki disease, however, can affect older children as well. The disease occurs more often among boys. It is more commonly seen in the winter and spring months. There is no one specific test to diagnose Kawasaki disease. Lab tests may help with diagnosis. A prolonged fever i. Signs and symptoms that help make the diagnosis include:.
Other diseases and common viruses may have these same symptoms. To determine if a child has Kawasaki disease, the doctor may order blood tests to look for:. These laboratory tests are helpful; however, the only way to make the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease is by meeting the clinical criteria for most of the signs and symptoms listed above.
If your child meets the criteria for the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease, the cardiology team is consulted. Your child will have an electrocardiogram to assess the electrical system of the heart and an echocardiogram ultrasound of the heart. Even if these studies are normal, your child will receive treatment based on clinical symptoms and lab work. Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. In as many as 25 percent of children with Kawasaki disease, the heart becomes affected without proper treatment.
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