Kawasaki disease is a condition caused by inflammation of the walls of the medium-sized arteries throughout the body, including the coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle with blood.
Image Credits: planetesante
The disease is also called lymphoma of the skin mucosa because it also affects the lymph nodes, skin and mucous membranes inside the nose, mouth, and throat.
Kawasaki signs, such as fever and skin scaling, can be frightening, but the good news is that Kawasaki disease is usually treatable and most children recover without serious problems.
Symptoms
Kawasaki symptoms appear in stages:
- The first stage
Signs and symptoms of the first phase may include:
- Fever, which is often higher than 102.2 Fahrenheit (39 ° C) and lasts for more than five days.
- severe redness of the eyes (conjunctivitis) without severe discharge.
- severe redness of the eyes (conjunctivitis) without severe discharge.
- A rash on the main part of the body "trunk" as well as in the genital area.
- Redness, dryness and cracking of the lips, swelling of the tongue and redness strongly (tongue similar to the death of the earth).
Swelling and redness of the skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, possibly in other places.
- agitation.
- The second phase
In the second stage of the disease, your child may suffer from:
- Peeling skin in the hands and feet, especially the fingertips of the hands and feet, often occurs on a large area.
Pain in the joints.
- Diarrhea.
- vomiting.
- Abdominal pain.
- Third level
In the third stage of the disease, signs, and symptoms disappear slowly unless complications occur. The disease may last for eight weeks before activity returns naturally.
The Reasons
No one knows what causes Kawasaki disease, which is not contagious, and there are a number of theories linking the disease to bacteria, viruses or other environmental factors, but none has been proven. Certain genes may increase your child's susceptibility to the disease.
Risk factors
There are three known things that increase your child's risk of Kawasaki, including:
- Age .. Children under the age of 5 years are most vulnerable to the disease.
- Sex .. boys are slightly more vulnerable than girls.
- Ethnic background. Children of Asian descent, such as Japanese or Koreans, have higher rates of Kawasaki disease.
Complications
Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of heart disease in children, but with effective treatment, only a small percentage of them suffer permanent damage.
Cardiac complications include:
- Vasculitis, usually coronary arteries, which supply the heart with blood.
- Myocarditis.
- Heart valve problems (mitral valve reflux).
- abnormal heartbeat (dysfunction).
Any of these complications can damage the child's heart. Coronary artery inflammation can weaken the arterial wall and swelling. Aneurysms increase the risk of blood clots and artery blockage, which can lead to a heart attack or cause life-threatening internal bleeding.
In a very small proportion of children with coronary artery disease, Kawasaki disease is fatal, even with treatment.
0 comments