Kawasaki Syndrome Health Article
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Treatment
Kawasaki syndrome is usually treated with a combination of aspirin, to control the patient's fever and skin inflammation, and high doses of intravenous immune globulin to reduce the possibility of coronary artery complications. Some patients with heart complications may be treated with drugs that reduce blood clotting or may receive corrective surgery.
Follow-up care includes two to three months of monitoring with chest x rays, electrocardiography, and echocardiography. Treatment with aspirin is often continued for several months.
Prognosis
Most patients with Kawasaki syndrome will recover completely, but about 1–2 percent die as a result of blood clots forming in the coronary arteries or as a result of a heart attack. Deaths are sudden and unpredictable. Almost 95 percent of fatalities occur within six months of infection, but some have been reported as long as 10 years afterward. Long-term follow-up of patients with aneurysms indicates that about half show some healing of the aneurysm. The remaining half has a high risk of heart complications in later life.
Parental concerns
It is important that parents of children diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome follow recommended treatments and follow-up care for the disease, because of the
KEY TERMS
Aneurysm—A weakened area in the wall of a blood vessel which causes an outpouching or bulge. Aneurysms may be fatal if these weak areas burst, resulting in uncontrollable bleeding.
Arrhythmia—Any deviation from a normal heart beat.
Arteritis—Inflammation of an artery.
Cardiomegaly—An enlarged heart.
Conjunctiva—Plural, conjunctivae. The mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eyes (sclera) and lines the eyelids.
Exanthem—A skin eruption associated with a disease, usually one accompanied by fever as in Kawasaki syndrome.
Gangrene—Decay or death of body tissue because the blood supply is cut off. Tissues that have died in this way must be surgically removed.
Hepatitis—An inflammation of the liver, with accompanying liver cell damage or cell death, caused most frequently by viral infection, but also by certain drugs, chemicals, or poisons. May be either acute (of limited duration) or chronic (continuing). Symptoms include jaundice, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, tenderness in the right upper abdomen, aching muscles, and joint pain. In severe cases, liver failure may result.
Meningitis—An infection or inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. It is usually caused by bacteria or a virus.
Mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome (MLNS)—Another name for Kawasaki syndrome. The name comes from the key symptoms of the disease, which involve the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, the skin, and the lymph nodes. MLNS is a potentially fatal inflammatory disease of unknown cause.
Myocarditis—Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium).
Stevens-Johnson syndrome—A severe inflammatory skin eruption that occurs as a result of an allergic reaction or respiratory infection.
T cell—A type of white blood cell that is produced in the bone marrow and matured in the thymus gland. It helps to regulate the immune system's response to infections or malignancy.
BOOKS
Rowland, Anne. "Bacteria: Diseases of Possible Infectious or Unknown Etiology." In Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 2nd ed. Edited by Sarah S. Long et al. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier, 2003.
Rowley, Anne H., and Stanford T. Shulman. "Kawasaki Disease." In Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. Edited by Richard E. Behrman et al. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2004.
WEB SITES
"Kawasaki Syndrome (mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome)." South Dakota Department of Health, November 18, 2004. Available online at <sss.state.sd.us/doh/Pubs/Kawasaki.htm> (accessed December 29, 2004).
Rebecca J. Frey, PhD Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD
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Author Info: Rebecca J. Frey PhD, Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt MD, Thomson Gale, Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health, 2006 |
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