Kawasaki disease

Rare card · No. 20757

Kawasaki disease (also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome) is a syndrome of unknown cause that results in a fever and mainly affects children under 5 years of age. It is a form of vasculitis, in which medium-sized blood vessels become inflamed throughout the body. The fever typically lasts for more than five days and is not affected by antipyretics. Other common symptoms include large lymph nodes in the neck, a rash in the genital area, lips, palms, or soles of the feet, and red eyes. Within three weeks of the onset, the skin from the hands and feet may peel, after which recovery typically occurs. The disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries, which include the formation of coronary artery aneurysms and myocarditis. While the specific cause is unknown, it is thought to result from an excessive immune response to particular infections in children who are genetically predisposed to those infections. It is not an infectious disease, that...

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