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Doctor insights on: Kawasaki Disease During Pregnancy

Kawasaki disease: Kawasaki disease is a rare disease of the blood vessels. Symptoms included fever > 5 days, red eyes, swollen red hands and feet, swollen red cracked lips and tongue, swollen neck lymph nodes and body rash. Kawasaki disease can also seriously affect the coronary heart vessels and gallbladder. It most commonly affects children under 8 years old. Cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown. ...Read more

Many: Diseases with features that are similar to kawasaki disease include: viral infections such as rubeola, roseola, rubella, adenovirus, bacterial infections such as streptococcal scarlet fever, staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, toxic shock syndrome, lyme disease toxoplasmosis rocky mountain spotted fever typhus juvenile rheumatoid arthritis drug reaction. ...Read more

No: While we have not yet identified the cause of kd, we do know that kd is not a "genetic" disease. However, it is likely that certain genes confer an increased susceptibility for contracting kd or developing some of its complications. ...Read more

See below: The usual symptoms and signs of kawasaki's disease include fever, reddening of the eyes, cracked and inflamed lips and mucous membranes of the mouth with an inflamed "strawberry" tongue, ulcerative gum disease (gingivitis), swollen lymph nodes in the neck (cervical lymphadenopathy), and a rash that is raised and bright red. The rash appears in a glove-and-sock distribution. ...Read more

KD: Kawasaki disease (kd) is an acute vasculitic (inflammation of blood vessels) syndrome of early childhood. It is characterized by fever for more than 5 days, red skin rash, blood-shot eyes without pus, swelling of hands/feet, red and cracked lips/tongue, enlarged lymph nodes, and irritability. It is potentially serious and requires prompt treatment in the hospital. ...Read more

Stop inflammation: Kawasaki's disease is treated with high doses of Aspirin (salicylic acid) to reduce inflammation and to mildly thin the blood to prevent blood clot formation. Also used in treatment is gamma globulin administered through the vein (intravenous immunoglobulin or ivig), together with fluids. ...Read more

No: Kawasaki disease is a type of autoimmune vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) affecting children almost exclusively that can have long term effects on the heart (coronary artery aneurysms) if not treated appropriately and promptly but heartburn, or gastroesophogeal reflux (GERD), is not one of them. ...Read more

Kawasaki disease: High platelet count is a common finding in children with Kawasaki disease, usually quite a few days into the illness. Platelets are one sign of inflammation, and it may take quite a few days for the platelets to come down again even after treatment with intravenous gamma globulin. More important is whether the fever is gone and the baby's behavior is back to normal. Good luck. ...Read more

Multiorgan disease: Children less than 5 years of age , first described in japan, of un known cause, affecting multiple organ systems( mucocutaneous, lymphatic, coronary artery of the heart, hospital admission and early institution of treatement is imperative. Parents should be adviced to continue low dose Aspirin until coronary artery abnormalities is resolved. Serial echocardiograms are needed. ...Read more

Blood count, but...: ...The high platelet count you usually see in kawasaki is rarely needed to make the diagnosis. The combination of 5 days of fever, rash, red eyes, and swollen hands, feet, and a lymph node is usually enough. ...Read more

Inflammatory disease: Kawasaki disease is an incompletely understood disease that has characteristics of an inflammatory vasculitis. The cause is unknown. Presentation and symptoms seem most typical for an infection. Successful treatment depends on timely recognition (first ten days) and administration of immunoglobulin. Late treatment may result in coronary aneurysms which can have serious consequences. ...Read more

Autoimmune disease: Kawasaki is a type of vasculitis (autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting blood vessels) that can cause prolonged fevers, arthritis, rash, cracked dry lips, swollen "strawberry" tongue, enlarged neck lymph nodes, coronary artery aneurysms, swelling in hands & feet, skin peeling, extreme irritability, red injected eyes. "Confused" white blood cells become highly active and attack blood vessels. ...Read more

Fever over 5 days,: ...Rash, red eyes, red mucous membranes, painful hands and feet, swollen lymph nodes. ...Read more

Possibly: Since doctors are not sure what exactly causes kawasaki disease, the answer is not known exactly. There are theories about possible infectious causes due to the seasonality of the illness. There are also some possible genetic causes due to a high prevalence in some asian ethnicities especially the japanese. Those genetic factors could be passed to your offspring. ...Read more

Seek medical care: Kawasaki disease is a serious illness. A child with kd requires specific medical therapy (ivig and aspirin), after which there is prompt clinical improvement. If there is coronary artery involvement then lifelong cardiology care will be required. ...Read more

Yes: New onset kawasaki disease usually responds to one or more IV infusions of gamma globulin followed by high dose Aspirin during the acute phase followed by low dose Aspirin in the later phase.A workup including examination of the heart is done to monitor occasional aneurysms in the heart blood vessels.Later management depends on response to the early rx. ...Read more

3-4K/yr 80%: According to the AAP report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases (Redbook)2009 the incidence is estimated at 3-4 thousand cases /yr in the US, 80% ...Read more

Autoimmune disease: Kawasaki is a disease in which the body creates antibodies that fight against our own body. Your brother had high fever for more than 5 days, the doctor couldn't find where the infection was comming from and decided to do blood test; that's where he saw high platelets (a blood component) and made the diagnosis. This disease responds very well to a drug named ivig and then aspirine. ...Read more

Unknown: There are multiple theories about causes of kawasaki disease. Unfortunately no one knows the exact cause. ...Read more

No. : Kd is not contagious, but there are environmental factors that may include infections, perhaps viral. Viral infections can of course can be passed from person to person. Therefore, kd occurs in clusters, but no one catches kd directly from another person. ...Read more