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Kawasaki syndrome is a disease primarily of children younger than five years old, results in enlarged sometimes lymph nodes, fever, rash, and joint and heart inflammation. The Kawasaki syndrome’s cause is not known but certain evidences suggests a virus. Such disease was first discovered in Japan in the 1960’s. After that, thousands of episodes have been diagnosed around the world in a different ethnic and racial groups, although Kawasaki syndrome is remaining most common in Japan. Few thousand Kawasaki syndrome cases are occurring in U.S. each year. Most children with this disease, are children from two months to five years; although the Kawasaki syndrome may occur in teenagers. Boys are affected almost twice than girls. Kawasaki syndrome starts with fever, which rises and falls but is mostly above 102 F. The children are frequently drowsy, irritable and sometimes have crampy pain of the abdomen. Within a day, patchy, red rash is usually appearing around the diaper area and over the trunk. Within few days, the rash appears on mucous membrane, including vagina or mouth. The children have strawberry red tongue, cracked, dry and reddened lips; and red throat. Both eyes become red. Also, the soles and palms turn purplish – red or red, and the feet and hands swell. The skin on the toes and fingers start off peel ten to twenty days after the disease begins. The neck’s lymph nodes are often slightly tender and swollen. The heart disease is the most serious complication of Kawasaki syndrome; other symptoms of the disease don’t cause lymph nodes, eye, or skin chronic problems. Approx. 5 to 20% of children with this illness develop heart complications. Such complications generally start two to four weeks after disease is started. The most severe heart complication is dilation (abnormal widening) of the coronary arteries. Aneurism (severe widening) may result in the heart attack and the condition may be fatal. Other Kawasaki syndrome complications include gall-bladder inflammation, joint inflammation and meninges inflammation, which are usually treated without resulting in permanent damage. Diagnosis depends on the symptoms. Fever that lasts at least five days and the appearance of 4 of the 5 changes of the body (swollen lymph nodes, change in mouth and lips) redden eyes, swollen, red extremities, and a rash lead to diagnosis. Blood tests can reveal high levels of platelets, anemia (low numbers of red blood cells), and high white blood cell number. Children are usually recovering fully if their coronary arthery is not affected. Approx. 1 to 2% of children who have the disease are not survive, because of the heart complication. Of those, more than 50% are not survive during the first month, 70% during 2 months, and 95% within six months, but may survive up to 10 years. Smaller coronary aneurysm tends to disappear within one year, but coronary artery can become weaker, resulting in heart complications years later. The treatment of Kawasaki syndrome is reducing the coronary artery damage risk and spreads the resolution of discomfort, rash, and fever. For one to four days, large immunoglobulin doses are administered intravenously, and large aspirin doses are used by mouth. Once a fever is controlled, a smaller aspirine dose should be taken for few more months to lower the risk of blood clots and coronary artery damage. A doctor performs a frequent chocardiogram to look for heart complications. Large coronary aneurysm can be treated only with Aspirin. If the children contract chicken pox or influenza, drug Dipyridamole is used temporarily instead of Aspirin to lower the Rey’s syndrome risk.
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