Kawasaki Disease (KD)
What is Kawasaki Disease?
Kawasaki disease (KD) is a relatively uncommon illness that mostly affects children under 5 years of age.
The most serious complication of KD is damage to the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.
If untreated, up to 25% of children with KD develop coronary artery dilation which can damage the coronary arteries and put them at risk of heart disease.
If the symptoms and signs of KD are recognised early and treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, most children make a full recovery and coronary artery complications are prevented or minimised.
KD primarily affects young children. Approximately 75% of patients are under 5 years of age. Older children and more rarely teenagers can also get KD. It is more common in boys than girls.
Kawasaki Disease (KD) is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children.
What are the symptoms of Kawasaki Disease?
Early symptoms of Kawasaki Disease include:
- Fever that can last for several days
- Rash, can be over whole body and may be worse in the groin area
- Red eyes – without discharge
- Bright red, swollen, or cracked lips
- Red tongue (strawberry like)
- Swollen hands and feet
- Redness of the palms and soles
- Swollen lymph node in the neck
Children with KD are often very irritable.
What treatment options are there?
Treatment involves giving immunoglobulin, also called gammaglobulin, through an intravenous (IV) cannula over several hours.
Immunoglobulins are antibodies that are taken from donated blood. They help your child’s immune system fight the illness and effectively stop the fever and symptoms of the disease.
When treatment is undertaken quickly, immunoglobulins help to prevent any damage to the heart arteries and reduce the risk of heart issues in the future.
