Kawasaki Disease: Its Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Kawasaki disease is defined as an inflammatory vascular disease which comes from an unknown origin, that mostly affects children below the age of 5. The disease can also affect the heart vessels. It is more seen between 6 months to five years of children. However, only a few kids go through the long term effects of the disease. This disease can rarely be found in teenagers or young peoples.

Kawasaki Disease was first described by the pediatrician, Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967. As soon as the disease gets the patient, we can see its symptoms very quickly. The patient must visit the physician near him/her for a quick treatment. Let’s discuss the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the Kawasaki Disease.

Causes of Kawasaki Disease

As we mentioned earlier, the origin of the Kawasaki disease is still unexplainable to the pediatricians. As per some researches, the reason for the disease could be weak environmental factors as well as a mixture of genetics. Also, it can affect the Asian descent the most as it specifically occurs due to the changing seasons.

The diseases could be mostly seen in children, however, there are very rare cases of teenagers and young people. The disease is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. Amazingly, the disease can be treated after following some treatment methods. Before that, let’s first take a took at the symptoms.

Symptoms of Kawasaki Disease

Every disease has its phases. Any disease takes a long time to get turn into a dangerous one. Kawasaki disease signs appear in three phases.

1st Stage

• The patient goes through a high fever of over 102.2F which can last for three days.
• We can see rashes around our genitals and other parts of our body.
• Eyes get extremely red.
• We can see red skins on the palms of our hands as well as on the soles of the feet.
• Lips become cracked, dry and red.
• We can feel the pain in our throat while swallowing something.

2nd Stage

• In the second stage, the disease starts to peel the skin on the hands and feet.
• The same happens on the tips of the fingers and toes.
• The patient could go through joint pain.
• It can cause diarrhea.
• Vomiting is one of the symptoms of the second stage.

3rd Stage

The third stage after the disease takes place could affect you for a long time. Or the symptoms could automatically go until the complications develop. It can lead a patient to go through several heart diseases as it harms the heart vessels at first. Also, the disease can cause a heart attack or heart damage to the patient. Only a few children suffer from longterm effects as per the records.

The third stage of the Kawasaki disease lasts from about 22 to 60 days. Those who are affected in a longterm way could go and consult with their physician. So, quick treatment can take place for a quick recovery. Let’s discuss its diagnosis below.

Diagnosis of Kawasaki Disease

So far, the origin of the Kawasaki disease is not yet clearly explained by any physician. There is no specific test for the disease. A Pediatrician finds a Kawasaki disease patient after looking at these following symptoms in the patient:

• high fever
• toxic shock syndrome
• changes in the lips or mouth
• rashes on different body parts
• red skin on hands and feet

Also, the pediatrician goes through some random tests of the patient in order to diagnose the diseases. Those tests could be:

• Urine Test: Urine test enables the pediatricians to see the symptoms. The change in your urine could be a symptom of the KD.
• Platelet Count: The counting of the red and white platelets is also a diagnosis of the KD. If the patients are suffered from the disease, then the platelets are usually high.
• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Test: In this test, the pediatrician takes a sample of red blood cells and tests it in a tube of liquid. If the blood cell touches the bottom of the tube quickly, that indicates the KD.
• Albumin Test: The believed patient has to go through an Albumin test that shows the level of protein in our blood.

Ways to Treat KD

If there is a disease, there are ways to treat it. Kawasaki disease is a treatable one. The patients are supposed to be admitted to the hospital due to the risk of complications. As kids go through this disease mostly, the parents must treat their child immediately to prevent heart damage.

One of the ways to treat KD patients is Aspirin. It works to prevent blood clots and also helps in reducing the high fever. The parents are also said to be aware of the undesirable side effects. IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin) is also a way to heal the KD patients. The patients are also supposed to drink as much water in order to avoid dehydration.

If you or your near ones are affected by this disease, we suggest you go for the treatment to your nearest hospital.

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