FOUNDED IN 2005 BY MONICA AND DREW GOSS, THE KAWASAKI DISEASE FUND, IS A NON FOR PROFIT GROUP OF DOCTORS AND PARENTS ALL WORKING TOGETHER TO RAISE MONEY AND MORE IMPORTANTLY AWARENESS TO FIND THE CAUSE FOR KD.......

What is Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease is an illness that causes inflammation of the blood vessels in the whole body. While its symptoms can mimic many infectious and non-infectious diseases, such as scarlet fever, toxic shock syndrome and measels, it was first recognized as a separate illness in 1967 by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki, a Japanese pediatrician. Characterized by the following symptoms: fever; rash; swelling of the hands and feet; redness of the whites of the eyes; irritation and infammation of the lips, mouth and throat and swollen lymph nodes in the neck; the immediate effects of the disease are rarely serious, however in some cases long-term heart complications may result.

Who gets Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease is not a rare illness, with about 3,500 reported cases per year in the United States and over 8,000 per year in Japan. The disease occurs most commonly among children of Asian ancestry, but it affects children of all racial and ethnic groups.

In recent years the disease has sometimes occurred in small, local outbreaks, most often in late winter or early spring, but it is seen during the entire year. Kawasaki disease almost always affects children; most patients are under 5 years old and the average age is 2 years old. Boys develop this illness more often than girls.

What causes Kawasaki disease?

The cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown. Currently, doctors at Children's Memorial are conducting research to determine its cause and to learn why some children, but not others, are vulnerable to it.

Kawasaki disease is not contagious and does not appear to be hereditary. It is rare for more than one child in a family to develop Kawasaki disease. Because the illness sometimes occurs in outrbreaks, a infectious cause (such as a virus) is likely.

How do the doctors diagnose Kawasaki disease?

The diagnosis of Kawasaki disease cannot be made by a single test or combination of tests. A physician makes the dagnosis after carefully examining the child, hearing the history of onset of symptoms from the parents, and eliminating the possibilities of the other diseases that can cause similar findings.

Blood tests may detect mild anemia, an elevated white blood count and an elevated sedimentation rate, all of which are seen early in the disease. A sharp elevation of the platelet count (the blood clotting component) is often seen later in the disease. Sometimes there are white cells in the urine.