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Review
. 2015 Sep;29(3):525-37.
doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2015.05.006. Epub 2015 Jul 4.

The Complexities of the Diagnosis and Management of Kawasaki Disease

Anne H Rowley  1
Affiliations
Review

The Complexities of the Diagnosis and Management of Kawasaki Disease

Anne H Rowley. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2015 Sep.

Abstract

Kawasaki disease (KD) must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any child with fever for 4 to 5 days and compatible clinical and laboratory features, and in any infant with prolonged fever and compatible laboratory features, even in the absence of the classic clinical signs. Prompt therapy is required, because delayed or unrecognized KD can lead to lifelong heart disease or death in previously healthy children. Most children with KD respond to a single 2 g/kg dose of intravenous gammaglobulin with oral aspirin, but a small subset require additional therapies to resolve the clinical illness.

Keywords: Acquired pediatric heart disease; Coronary artery aneurysm; Myocardial infarction; Prolonged fever; Systemic inflammation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conjunctival injection and red lips in a child with acute KD.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Maculopapular rash on the extremities in a child with acute KD.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Periungual desquamation of the fingers two weeks after fever onset in a child with KD.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Treatment algorithm for children with suspected incomplete KD, adapted from [7].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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MeSH terms