My grandchild has been diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Have you heard of this disease?

He is under 2 years of age

So sorry to hear about your wee grandson's illness. I do hope that he gets better soon. Meantime here is a website that has the details of this disease. All the best. Nettie UK lass.


http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/hea...

I hope all is well with your grandson. I had Kawasaki Desease when I was 10 and here I am almost 9 years later to tell my tale. If the medicine was giving to him soon enough there should be no worries. Report It

I haven't heard of it, but a quick search brought up this site which may be useful.

http://www.kdfoundation.org/

You will find some answers here:

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical...

and here:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.j...

Hope that is helpful!

No I haven't. The word Kawasaki caught my attention, I thought you were asking about motorbikes! I'm going to look it up now though. I've never heard of it. I'm intrigued. Hope your grandchild is ok.

I've just read about it in one of the links you've been given. Poor baby, it sounds painful. My best wishes for him/her. xxx

Kawasaki disease is a rare febrile illness in children associated with rash swelling of limbs and mlaise . The definite cause is not known. It is treated symptomatically and it`s self limitng

Kawasaki Disease is an illness that involves the skin, mouth, and lymph nodes, and typically affects children who are under the age of 5. The cause of Kawasaki Disease is unknown, but if the symptoms are recognized early, kids with the disease can fully recover within a few days. If it goes untreated, it can lead to serious complications that can involve the heart.
The first phase, which can last for up to 2 weeks, usually involves a persistent fever that is higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), and lasts for at least 5 days. The other symptoms that typically develop include:

severe redness in the eyes
a rash on the child's stomach, chest, and genitals
red, dry, cracked lips
swollen tongue with a white coating and big red bumps
sore, irritated throat
swollen palms of the hands and soles of the feet with a purple-red color
swollen lymph nodes
During the second phase of the illness, which usually begins within two weeks of when the fever first begins, the skin on the child's hands and feet may begin to peel in large pieces. The child may also experience joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.
Treatment should begin as soon as possible, ideally within 10 days of when the fever first begins. Usually, a child is treated with intravenous doses of gamma globulin (purified antibodies), an ingredient of blood that helps the child's body fight off infection. The child may also be given a high-dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of heart problems.

dont worry as the doctors have diagnosed it early i hope ,there will be no complications

ive heard of it but usally only the elderly get it

What is Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki (KAH'wah-SAH'ke) disease is a children's illness. It's also known as Kawasaki syndrome or mucocutaneous (mu"ko-ku-TA'ne-us) lymph node syndrome. It and acute rheumatic (roo-MAT'ik) fever are the two leading causes of acquired heart disease in children in the United States.

Who gets Kawasaki disease?

About 80 percent of the people with Kawasaki disease are under age five. Children over age eight are rarely affected. The disease occurs more often among boys (over 60 percent) and among those of Asian ancestry. But it can occur in every racial and ethnic group. Over 4,000 cases of Kawasaki disease are being diagnosed annually in the United States. Less than 1 percent of those who get it die.

What happens to those with Kawasaki disease?

The symptoms of Kawasaki disease include...

fever
rash
swollen hands and feet
irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes
swollen lymph glands in the neck
irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips and throat
Doctors don't know what causes Kawasaki disease, but it doesn't seem to be hereditary or contagious. Scientists who've studied it think the evidence strongly suggests it's caused by an infectious agent such as a virus. It's very rare for more than one child in a family to develop Kawasaki disease. Less than 2 percent of children have another attack of Kawasaki disease.

In as many as 15 to 25 percent of the children with Kawasaki disease, the heart is affected. The coronary arteries or the heart muscle itself can be damaged.

How does Kawasaki disease affect the heart?

The coronary arteries are most often affected. Part of a coronary wall can be weakened and balloon (bulge out) in an aneurysm. A blood clot can form in this weakened area and block the artery, sometimes leading to a heart attack. The aneurysm can also burst, but this rarely happens.

Other changes include inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) or the sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis). Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) or abnormal functioning of some heart valves also can occur.

Usually all the heart problems go away in five or six weeks, and there's no lasting damage. Sometimes coronary artery damage persists, however.

An arrhythmia or damaged heart muscle can be detected using an electrocardiogram (EKG). An echocardiogram (or "echo") is used to look for possible damage to the heart or coronary arteries.

How is Kawasaki disease treated?

Even though the cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown, certain medicines are known to help. Aspirin is often used to reduce fever, rash, joint inflammation and pain, and to help prevent blood clots from forming. Another medicine, intravenous gamma globulin, can decrease the risk of developing coronary artery abnormalities when given early in the illness.

For information about parent support groups for Kawasaki disease