Welcome back to another exciting instalment of Practice, Practice, Malpractice. I thought about a condition that is more prevalent in younger children and came upon Kawasaki Disease. Now onto the information.
Kawasaki’s Disease
Kawasaki’s is a rare condition in kids that involves the inflammation of the blood vessels. As you can tell by the name it occurs most frequently in Japan. It affects more than 4000 kids each year. More patients are younger than 5. Little is actually known about Kawasaki’s and the cause has yet to be indentified. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder (where the immune system starts attacking healthy cells within the body). It affects the mucus membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels and the heart. Kawasaki’s can cause inflammation of the blood vessels in the coronary arteries, which can lead to aneurysms. Aneurysms can lead to a heart attack, even in young kids.
Kawasaki’s often begins with a high and persistent fever greater than 102°F (39°C). a persistent fever lasting 5 days is a classic symptom. Other symptoms include bloodshot eyes, chapped lips, red mucus membranes in the mouth, strawberry tongue, red palms and soles of feet, swollen hands and feet, skin rashes of the middle of the body, peeling skin, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain and swelling.
There are no tests specifically for the diagnosis of Kawasaki’s Disease. The diagnosis of Kawasaki’s is based on the patient having the most classic symptoms. The following tests may be performed to aid in the diagnosis of Kawasaki’s:
Chest x-ray
CBC (Complete blood count)
CRP (C-reactive protein)
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
Echocardiogram
ESR (Erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
Serum albumin
Serum transaminase
Urinalysis
Treatment includes IV gamma globulin (high dose) and aspirin (high dose); some research suggests steroids to the usually treatment may improve the kid’s outcome.
Full recovery is expected, however, 2% of patients die for complications of coronary blood vessel inflammation. Patients who have been diagnosed with Kawasaki’s should been screened every 1-2 years for hearts problems.
It’s time for me to sign off and leave with Dr House’s most famous saying ‘everybody lies’.
Sources:
link
Kawasaki’s Disease
Kawasaki’s is a rare condition in kids that involves the inflammation of the blood vessels. As you can tell by the name it occurs most frequently in Japan. It affects more than 4000 kids each year. More patients are younger than 5. Little is actually known about Kawasaki’s and the cause has yet to be indentified. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder (where the immune system starts attacking healthy cells within the body). It affects the mucus membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels and the heart. Kawasaki’s can cause inflammation of the blood vessels in the coronary arteries, which can lead to aneurysms. Aneurysms can lead to a heart attack, even in young kids.
Kawasaki’s often begins with a high and persistent fever greater than 102°F (39°C). a persistent fever lasting 5 days is a classic symptom. Other symptoms include bloodshot eyes, chapped lips, red mucus membranes in the mouth, strawberry tongue, red palms and soles of feet, swollen hands and feet, skin rashes of the middle of the body, peeling skin, swollen lymph nodes, joint pain and swelling.
There are no tests specifically for the diagnosis of Kawasaki’s Disease. The diagnosis of Kawasaki’s is based on the patient having the most classic symptoms. The following tests may be performed to aid in the diagnosis of Kawasaki’s:
Chest x-ray
CBC (Complete blood count)
CRP (C-reactive protein)
EKG (Electrocardiogram)
Echocardiogram
ESR (Erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
Serum albumin
Serum transaminase
Urinalysis
Treatment includes IV gamma globulin (high dose) and aspirin (high dose); some research suggests steroids to the usually treatment may improve the kid’s outcome.
Full recovery is expected, however, 2% of patients die for complications of coronary blood vessel inflammation. Patients who have been diagnosed with Kawasaki’s should been screened every 1-2 years for hearts problems.
It’s time for me to sign off and leave with Dr House’s most famous saying ‘everybody lies’.
Sources:
link
