Kawasaki Disease
To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease - Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu
image by: Manual of Medicine
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Why everyone needs to know about Kawasaki disease
Besides having the distinction of being the only fever in children that is treated with Aspirin, these are the reasons why everyone needs to know about Kawasaki disease:
1. It is often misdiagnosed.
Many of the symptoms associated with Kawasaki disease are also associated with numerous other childhood illnesses, making it difficult for doctors to determine the true cause of the symptoms. To complicate matters even further, the symptoms may not show up at the same time (as in Isaiah's case) or many of the symptoms may not show up at all (incomplete KD). Currently, there is no diagnostic test for Kawasaki disease. It is typically diagnosed using a combination…
Resources
What to Know About Kawasaki Disease, the Pediatric Inflammatory Condition Possibly Linked to COVID-19
As doctors learn more, they are growing increasingly convinced that the syndrome currently sickening children is not actually Kawasaki disease, but rather a separate inflammatory condition that produces similar symptoms.
How to spot zebras - Kawasaki disease
'When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras' - the old adage is well-known to GPs but what should you do when faced with a zebra, not a horse? Consultant cardiologist Professor Robert Tulloh and GP Dr Louise Tulloh kick off our new series with their advice on how to catch Kawasaki disease in general practice.
Teen Proves Kawasaki Disease is Not One Size Fits All
“Misconceptions about Kawasaki disease can delay a crucial early diagnosis,” said Dr. Michael Portman, a cardiologist in Seattle Children’s Kawasaki Disease Clinic and researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “One mistakenly held belief is that the disease only occurs in children under age 5. This just isn’t true.” According to Portman, another misconception is that Kawasaki disease exclusively affects Asian or Asian-American populations. At Seattle Children’s, which provides ongoing care for 600 children with Kawasaki disease, only about 30% of patients come from an Asian background.
Is it possible to confuse Hands, Foot and Mouth disease with Kawasaki Syndrome?
Kawasaki’s disease presents in a much different fashion than Hands, Foot and Mouth disease. The lips and tongue are strawberry red. This redness is a result of swelling and edema rather than a response to multiple lesions found in and around the mouth.
A Tale of how we overcame Kawasaki
As there are no tests that can diagnose Kawasaki, the diagnosis is based on eliminations and clinical observations. Consequently this disease is likely to be treated after the fifth day but within the tenth day from yhe onset of the disease.
Awareness of This Disease Could Save Your Child’s Life
Kawasaki disease is the stuff of nightmares...but it doesn't have to be.
Childhood Diseases – On a Mission to Educate: Kawasaki Disease
Because Kawasaki disease can look similar to other common childhood viral and bacterial illnesses, there is no single test that can detect it. Doctors usually diagnose Kawasaki disease by examining the symptoms and then ruling out other conditions.
Dissecting Kawasaki Disease, Part 1: Misdiagnosis is Mandatory
According to the latest numbers available, Kawasaki Disease (KD) is still technically defined as a rare disease in most countries around the world. We know that more and more children are being diagnosed with KD each year, but we don't know how many children are still going misdiagnosed. The reasons for the misdiagnosing, while not always talked about, are clear. The answer for this problem is simple; we need a diagnostic test for Kawasaki Disease.
How Facebook Saved My Son's Life
My social network helped diagnose a rare disease that our doctors initially missed.
Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day
January 26th is Kawasaki Disease awareness day, and I want to join the effort to educate the public on this rare, mysterious, and often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed childhood disease.
Kawasaki disease origin traced to northeast China
Scientists suspect a fast-acting wind-borne toxin underlies the childhood disease.
Kawasaki Disease: A 50 year old mystery
Doctors are faced with a real challenge as many of these symptoms mimic those of other common childhood diseases such as staphylococcal and streptococcal infections.
Summarizing What Has Been Learned About Kawasaki Disease
Although the cause of Kawasaki disease remains unknown, it is likely that this disease is a final common pathway of many infectious or environmental factors that trigger inflammation of the blood vessels in people who have a genetic predisposition to get this disease.
Think Like a Doctor: Eyes Solved
These children usually have fever that lasts up to two weeks, and which, like this child’s, is not responsive to antibiotics or fever-reducing medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Red, irritated or swollen tongue or lips and bloodshot eyes are among the most common symptoms. The conjunctivitis is unusual in that the redness of the eyes usually spares the area right around the iris, leaving a circle of white around the colored part of the eye.
What is Kawasaki syndrome?
It's an inflammatory, autoimmune disorder (in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the body), but we're not quite clear of the cause.
Why everyone needs to know about Kawasaki disease
I know many parents of KD survivors (myself included) and survivors themselves who are KD advocates and raise awareness on a daily basis. I am sure there are people that wonder why we are so passionate about this cause, and given that it is considered rare, why it is such a big deal. These are the reasons why everyone needs to know about Kawasaki disease...
Kawasaki Disease Foundation
KDF strives to be at the forefront of Kawasaki Disease issues by uniting the personal insight of families with the expertise of medical professionals.
Kawasaki Disease - Road to Discovery
This is the first attempt to perform whole-genome sequencing to define the biome of the tropospheric wind. Trans-oceanic transport of a human pathogen has not been previously reported. This is the first proposal that KD could be triggered by an infectious agent or antigen traveling as an aerosol and transported by large-scale winds.
Kawasaki Disease Canada
To promote the awareness of Kawasaki Disease among the medical community,childcare providers, and the general public, that is critical to early diagnosis and treatment
Kawasaki Disease Foundation Australia
This site has been set up for the purpose of creating a support network and information exchange for families in Australia who have been affected by Kawasaki Disease.
Kawasaki Disease Foundation Challenge
This is a fundraiser for a test that could save kids hearts and lives.
Kawasaki Disease Foundation India
Welcome to the Kawasaki Disease Foundation in India, a non-profit organization to take care of children with Kawasaki Disease in India especially to support children with coronary artery disease.
Kawasaki-Disease.co.uk
My husband and I have built this site with the aim to try and give you a better understanding into this condition and to offer our support should you need it.
KDAnswers.com
Many children that contract KD have a health history of being ill very often. Most parents state that their KD child was sick a few weeks prior to the onset of KD. KD is an autoimmune disease and is presumed to be the interaction of genetic and environmental factors.
The Kawasaki Disease Forum
Mission: To provide an open forum for everyone to freely discuss Kawasaki disease and related matters.
Isaiah's Kawasaki Disease Journey
On October 19th, 2011 my 2 year old son, Isaiah, was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Life has not been the same ever since. I want to share his story to help raise awareness of this disease. We were fortunate that Isaiah was diagnosed and treated for his illness. However, Isaiah developed multiple aneurysms in his coronary arteries as a result of Kawasaki disease.
CDC
KS occurs worldwide, with the highest incidence in Japan, and it most often affects boys and younger children. KS may have a winter-spring seasonality, and community-wide outbreaks have been reported occasionally.
DrGreene.com
Kawasaki disease has become the most common cause of heart disease in children born without birth defects. If Kawasaki disease is not recognized and appropriately treated within 10 days, the risk for permanent heart damage increases.
HealthyChildren.org
Kawasaki disease is a serious and perplexing disease, the cause of which is unknown. Some researchers believe, however, that it is caused by a virus or bacteria.
Heart.org
The disease is relatively common, and in the United States it is a major cause of heart disease in children. In recent years, it has tended to occur in localized outbreaks, most often in the late winter or spring, but is seen year-round. Kawasaki disease almost always affects children; most patients are under 5 years old, and the average age is about 2. Boys develop the illness almost twice as often as girls.
KidsHealth
Doctors can manage the symptoms of Kawasaki disease if it's caught early. Most kids will feel better within 2 days of starting treatment. Heart problems usually won't develop if Kawasaki disease is treated within 10 days of the start of symptoms.
MayoClinic
Signs of Kawasaki disease, such as a high fever and peeling skin, can be frightening. The good news is that Kawasaki disease is usually treatable, and most children recover from Kawasaki disease without serious problems...Kawasaki treatment is a rare exception to the rule against aspirin use in children.
MedicineNet
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.
MedlinePlus
Kawasaki disease is not well understood and the cause is yet unknown. It may be an autoimmune disorder. The problem affects the mucus membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels, and the heart.
Patient
Kawasaki disease is a disease of young children that causes fever, a rash, and other typical symptoms. Most children recover fully, but serious complications develop in some cases. Early treatment can prevent complications.
Pegasus Therapeutics
Pegasus Therapeutics is combining the latest technology in non-surgical aneurysm treatment and coronary artery stenting to design a bioresorbable flow diverter -- a medical device that gives the body a chance to heal and then dissolves away completely after the therapeutic timeframe. Our vision is for children with coronary artery aneurysms to live longer, healthier, more productive lives.
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