Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease is an illness which causes inflammation (swelling) of blood vessels within the body. While it’s often hard to diagnose and may be mistaken for other conditions, our specialists know what to look for to help your child.

What is Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease causes inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. In addition to carrying blood, these vessels transport oxygen to the heart and other vital organs.

In some cases, the inflammation can affect the blood vessels of the heart, known as coronary arteries. When these blood vessels swell, they can thicken, weaken, narrow or become scarred. Once damaged, blood vessels can’t provide normal blood and oxygen flow, which can permanently damage the heart.

Kawasaki disease can lead to serious complications. The good news is that with proper diagnosis and treatment, most children with Kawasaki disease recover without lasting problems.

Kawasaki disease symptoms

Children with Kawasaki disease may experience:

Kawasaki disease causes and risk factors

The cause of Kawasaki disease remains unknown. It doesn’t seem to pass from person to person, nor does it seem to result from bacterial infection.

While doctors don’t know what causes the condition, they have identified a few risk factors that make it more likely to develop Kawasaki disease, including:

• Age: Most cases of Kawasaki disease occur in children younger than 5.
• Sex: Boys get the disease twice as often as girls.
• Ethnicity: Children of all races and ethnicities can get Kawasaki disease. However, children of Asian or Pacific Island descent are more likely to develop the condition.

Kawasaki disease diagnosis

No single test can diagnose Kawasaki disease. However, by combining several tests during a comprehensive evaluation, our team can confidently identify the condition and provide your child with treatment. Our inflammation specialists (rheumatologists) and cardiologists monitor your child’s possible Kawasaki disease symptoms and may order tests such as:

• Blood tests
• Echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart)
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)

Kawasaki disease treatment

The best way to prevent possible complications such as heart issues is to identify and treat the condition. From diagnosis through recovery, you can count on our team to provide safe, quality care and the answers you need. In some cases, Kawasaki disease may go away on its own.

As our doctors work with your family on a treatment plan, they may recommend one or more options:

Medications

Drugs to reduce inflammation are the first line of treatment for Kawasaki disease. We may also give your child medications to help with fever, improve other Kawasaki disease symptoms and prevent further heart damage.

We typically admit children to the hospital to make sure Kawasaki disease treatment is working as it should. We have the necessary experience to provide medications and monitor the response, to ensure your child begins recovery as soon as possible.

Cardiac catheterization

In some cases, cardiac catheterization can help restore blood flow by widening blood vessels that are significantly narrowed by Kawasaki disease. We first sedate your child so they don’t feel pain.

After making a small skin puncture, we thread a flexible, narrow tube (catheter) into the affected blood vessels to restore blood flow.

Ongoing care

Your child can leave the hospital once they no longer have a fever and it’s clear they’re not at risk of complications. You can expect the hospital stay to last at least a week, though it depends on how well your child responds to treatment.

After treatment, we continue to follow up with echocardiograms and other tests as needed. Our team and your family will forge a lasting partnership to reduce the likelihood of long-term effects.