By Kaylee Kindle & Maggie Creitz Kawasaki’s Disease By Kaylee Kindle & Maggie Creitz

Kawasaki Disease Kawasaki Disease is a disease that occurs primarily in young children, and can cause rashes, glandular swelling, and sometimes damage to the heart.

Scientific Description Kawasaki Disease causes inflammation in the walls of medium sized arteries throughout the body. The inflammation tends to affect the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.

“Strawberry tongue” Swollen hands Red eyes Rash

Signs and Symptoms Symptoms of this disease come in 3 phases: Phase 1: Fever higher than 102.2 F and lasting for 3 or more days Extremely red eyes Cracked lips and swollen tongue Swollen red skin on palms of hands and feet Phase 2: Peeling of skin on hands and feet Joint pain Abdominal pain Vomiting Phase 3: Signs and symptoms slowly go away but it may be as long as 8 weeks until energy levels seem normal again.

Cause The exact cause is unknown Speculators think it could be caused by genetics and environmental factors Is more common in certain seasons and people of Asian decent Children under 5 and males are more likely to get it

Cure Starting treatment as soon as possible while the child still has the fever They want to lower the fever and reduce inflammation to prevent heart damage Doctor may recommend Gamma Globulin which can help reduce artery problems a prescribed high doses aspirin to reduce inflammation and reduce fever Last about 12 days but heart conditions may carry on into later life

Worst Case Scenario If not treated correctly can cause major heart and artery problems for the child Peeling of hands and feet, joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain Inflammation of heart muscle, heart valve problems But if you get effective treatment small percentage have lasting heart conditions

3 Facts In U.S and Western Countries KD occurs 1 in 10,000 children under 5 each year, is 10 to 20 times more common in East Asia More common in children age 3-5 The disease was first described in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, and the first cases outside of Japan were reported in Hawaii in 1976.

Sources Picture sources https://www.healthline.com/health/kawasaki-disease#causes-and-risk-factors https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kawasaki-disease/symptoms-causes/syc- 20354598 https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/heart-blood-conditions/kawasaki-disease/ Picture sources https://www.hormonesmatter.com/kawasaki-disease/ http://kdcanada.org/ https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmicm1411222 https://www.healthline.com/health/kawasaki-disease