Kawasaki Disease Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Kawasaki Disease Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Definition

Kawasaki disease was discovered in 1967 by a Japanese scientist, dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki. This disease is actually a very rare disease.

This disease, which generally attacks toddlers, is clinically scary. However, if handled properly, most sufferers will recover completely, without any significant complications.

Kawasaki is a disease characterized by inflammation of the walls of the arteries throughout the body. Because it can attack all the blood vessels of the body, this disease also does not escape targeting the health of the heart arteries. Therefore, an evaluation of the function and work of the heart during the illness is still ongoing is mandatory.

Children aged 1–2 years are the age group that suffers from Kawasaki the most. The risk increases if the child has the following factors:

• Male gender. Boys are at double the risk of developing Kawasaki disease compared to girls.

• ethnicity. Children from Asian and Pacific area ethnicities, especially those of Japanese descent, have a higher risk than children of other ethnicities.

Symptom

Symptoms of Kawasaki disease occur in three clinical phases, namely:

Phase I

• Fever over 39 ^° C and lasts more than three days.
• Eyes that look very red without excess fluid coming out.
• Red spots on the body, including the pubic area.
• Lips are bright red, dry and cracked. Swollen and reddish tongue ( strawberry tongue ).
• The palms and soles are swollen and reddish in color.
• Swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck.
• Children become fussy.

Phase II

• The skin on the tips of the fingers and toes peels off
• Joint pain
• Diarrhea
• Throws up
• Abdominal pain

Phase III

The third phase is the recovery phase when the clinical symptoms slowly subside and the child’s body condition returns to normal. If no complications occur, this recovery phase can last up to eight weeks, until the child has fully recovered.

Reason

Until now, the exact cause of Kawasaki disease is not known. Even so, there are several theories that state that Kawasaki is closely related to viral, and bacterial infections and environmental influences.

However, these various theories still cannot be used as a definite basis for the cause of Kawasaki disease. One thing is certain, Kawasaki disease is not a disease that is easily transmitted from one child to another.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is established on the basis of the presence of fever and clinical symptoms in a child suggesting signs of Kawasaki disease. To be sure, additional checks are needed.

Additional tests that can help determine Kawasaki disease are laboratory tests and echocardiography or ultrasound of the heart. The goal is to see the function of the heart as a whole.

Treatment

A child who is proven to have Kawasaki disease requires treatment in a hospital. The aim is to closely monitor conditions in general, especially in cardiac function.

Immediately after diagnosis, treatment can be carried out with the following treatment steps:

• Immunoglobulin (IVIG) by infusion. Giving IVIG is done to relieve the inflammatory process that occurs in blood vessels.
• Aspirin to help reduce the pain experienced and reduce the risk of blood clots.

Complications

Most cases of Kawasaki disease will heal over time if handled properly and quickly. However, in some cases permanent damage to the heart’s blood vessels can occur which has the potential to cause an aneurysm, a lump in the blood vessel wall that breaks easily.

This complication generally occurs when Kawasaki disease affects children under one year of age. Children whose heart blood vessels are damaged by this disease are at risk of having a heart attack when they grow up.