In this Article

• What is Kawasaki disease?
• What are the usual symptoms of Kawasaki disease?
• What are the less common findings?
• What is the difference between Kawasaki disease and Kawasaki syndrome?
• What is mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome?
• What causes Kawasaki disease?
• Who develops Kawasaki disease?
• How can Kawasaki disease cause serious complications?
• How is Kawasaki disease treated?
• What is the outlook (prognosis) for children with Kawasaki disease?
• Kawasaki Disease At A Glance
• Kawasaki Disease Glossary
• Kawasaki Disease Index

What is the outlook (prognosis) for children with Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease generally resolves on its own after four to eight weeks.

However, the outcome is not so favorable in every case. Rarely, Kawasaki disease can cause death from blood clots forming in abnormal areas of widening (aneurysms) of the heart arteries (coronary arteries). Those children with larger aneurysms have a worse prognosis because of this risk.

Researchers are searching for methods of detecting which children are at risk for the development of aneurysms of the coronary arteries. Further research is underway to investigate a variety of criteria for atypical variants of Kawasaki disease that do not have classical presentations.

Kawasaki Disease At A Glance

• Kawasaki 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 gamma globulin.
  
  
• Kawasaki disease usually resolves on its own within a month or two.
  
  
• Some children with Kawasaki disease suffer damage to the coronary arteries.

Reference:

Koopman, William, et al., eds. Clinical Primer of Rheumatology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2003.

Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, W B Saunders Co, edited by Shaun Ruddy, et al., 2000.

American College of Rheumatology National Meeting, Boston, 2007.

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