Kawasaki Disease Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Causes and Symptoms of Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease is a rather rare illness that predominantly affects children below the age of 5. The condition is known to have a frequency ratio of infecting about 19 in very 100,000 children and will initially affect the skin, mouth and lymph nodes and if left untreated, could even lead to serious complications involving the heart. Less than 1% of all cases of the condition result in death. So far, there has been no real breakthrough in identifying the major causes of the condition. However, studies have shown that the condition is not hereditary nor is it contagious and one school of thought believes that the condition is caused by some kind of virus. During manifestation, the condition will start to develop in a series of phases. The initial phase is characterized by a persistent fever that is usually above 104 degrees Fahrenheit and will last for a period of about one week. The affected individual will also develop other symptoms such as a severe redness in the eyes, rashes breaking out in areas like the stomach, chest and genitals, a cracking and drying of the lips as well as a swelling of the palms of the hands and feet. When the condition progresses to the second phase, the child will experience a severe amount of abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and joint pain.

Treatment for Kawasaki Disease

When the condition is left untreated, part of the coronary wall would be weakened and it would start to balloon into an aneurism. Blood clots will start to form in this weakened area and block the artery – leading to a heart attack. Given the fact that the condition carries some significant amount of risk with it, it is almost essential that the treatment start as soon as possible after the condition has been detected. Take your child to your local physician or hospital and have the necessary tests carried out. Any home remedy treatment options would be focused on aiding the recovery and treatment options suggested by the physician or hospital and will not be the primary method of treatment. In order to speed up the recovery, you should increase your child’s intake of nuts as they contain a number of beneficial substances such as unsaturated fats, omega – 3 fatty acids and fiber. Cucumber is also a very good moisturizer and will help substantially in the prevention of scaling and chipping of skin. Cucumber also contains alkaloids – which help in the regulation of the production of dead skin.