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Kawasaki DiseaseWelcome to our site! My husband and I have built this site with the aim to try and give you a better understanding into this condition and to offer our support should you need it. My son suffered from Kawasaki disease in March 2005. I had never heard of it and neither had any of my friends or family. When I told people what was wrong with him they all thought I was confused and insisted that Kawasaki was the name of a motorbike! I expect you may have had some similar reactions too! We hope to try to raise awareness of Kawasaki disease (hopefully along side health visitors and doctors), and our aim is to make as many parents aware of it as is possible via leaflets at the doctors etc.
What is Kawasaki Disease?Kawasaki Disease is an illness that mainly affects children under the age of 8 years old. It is an inflammatory process that affects nearly every system in the body and was named after the doctor who first discovered it Dr Tomisaki Kawasaki of Tokyo, Japan in 1967. There is no diagnostic test for Kawasaki's, it is therefore determined by a series of symptoms. |
Symptoms of Kawasaki Disease 1) A high fever lasting more than 5 days 2) A rash 3) Swollen lymph nodes 4) Red dry itchy eyes (dry conjunctivitis) 5) Swollen hands and feet 6) Bright red swollen lips (cracking) and tongue |
Symptoms cont..... Many children who have Kawasaki disease go mis-diagnosed, this is mainly due to the fact that the symptoms do not always present themselves at the same time. In many cases some symptoms have come and gone before others appear. It is therefore important to try remember all elements of an illness when your child becomes poorly. Whilst we are trying to be informative as possible we are not in anyway a replacement for medical help and as such would advise that if your child is ill you seek the appropriate medical help by way of a doctor or hospital emergency department. |
