Kawasaki's Disease

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Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Medical Editor:

Catherine Burt Driver, MD

Catherine Burt Driver, MD

Catherine Burt Driver, MD, is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Driver is a member of the American College of Rheumatology. She currently is in active practice in the field of rheumatology in Mission Viejo, Calif., where she is a partner in Mission Internal Medical Group.

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• Kawasaki's disease is a syndrome of unknown cause that mainly strikes young children.
• Signs of the disease include fever and redness of the eyes, hands, feet, mouth, and tongue.
• The disease can be treated with high doses of aspirin (salicylic acid) and gammaglobulin.
• Kawasaki's disease usually resolves on its own within a month or two.
• Some children with Kawasaki's disease suffer damage to the coronary arteries.

Kawasaki's disease is an uncommon illness in children that is characterized by high fever of at least five days' duration together with at least four of the following five findings:

1. Inflammation with reddening of the whites of the eyes (conjunctivitis) without pus
2. Redness or swelling of the hands or feet, or generalized skin peeling
3. Rash
4. Lymph node swelling in the neck
5. Cracking, inflamed lips or throat, or red "strawberry" tongue

The above criteria are used to make a diagnosis of Kawasaki's disease. The terminology "incomplete Kawasaki's disease" is sometimes used for patients with only some features of classical Kawasaki's disease. Most patients are under 5 years of age.

Mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome is the original name for Kawasaki's disease. The original name was quite descriptive because the disease is characterized by the typical changes in the mucous membranes that line the lips and mouth and by the enlarged and tender lymph nodes. Kawasaki's disease is also sometimes referred to as Kawasaki disease.