Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki disease-commonest cause of acquired heart disease in young children

Kawasaki disease may be rare, but it's now the commonest cause of acquired heart disease in children under 5. It's an acute, self limiting, multiorgan vasculitis of unknown cause. The problem is the vasculitis tends to affect coronary arteries and can cause sudden death if untreated. Immunoglobulins and aspirin reduce cardiac complications significantly.Diagnosis is essentially clinical-fever for five days and at least 4 of the following:Red eyes (bilateral conjunctivitis, no pus) Sore red mouth, red cracked lips, and classically a "strawberry" tongue with protuberant papillaePolymorphous maculopapular skin rashCervical lymphadenopathy, usually unilateral and >1.5 cm in diameterErythema and oedema of the hands and feet (with desquamation of the skin in the later stage of the illness).

Source: Heart 2009;95:787-792