|
|
Kawasaki Disease
Kawasaki disease was first discovered in 1967 and was identified as “mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.” It first appeared in 50 Japanese children who developed an unusual illness with fever, rashes, conjunctival injection, cervical lymphadenitis, inflammation of the lips and oral cavity as well as redness and swelling of the hands and feet. This disease was later found to have caused the death of several Japanese children mostly under two years old. An article by Doctors Kathryn Taubert and Stanford Shulman, in collaboration with the American Heart Association, said that Kawasaki disease has been reported worldwide with boys more often affected. It revealed that although the disease occurs anytime of the year, more cases are reported during winter and spring. In North America, children of Asian blood, notably Japanese and Korean, are those mostly affected. In Japan, 116,848 children have contracted the disease based on 12 surveys conducted from 1970 to 1992.
|
|
|
|
||
Kawasaki disease is an acquired heart disease affecting children mostly in the United States and other developed countries. Also known as lymph node syndrome, this disease strikes 80% of children below five years old. It can cause heart abnormalities such as aneurysms and may lead to thrombosis and stenosis and even death. The major cause of death from this disease is heart attack (myocardial infarction). It is still unknown, though, what causes Kawasaki disease but medical experts are pointing to a microbial agent.