Kawasaki disease is a rare childhood disease. It's a form of a condition called vasculitis. This condition involves inflammation of the blood vessels. In Kawasaki disease, the walls of the blood vessels throughout the body become inflamed. The disease can affect any type of blood vessel in the body, including the arteries, veins, and capillaries. Sometimes Kawasaki disease affects the coronary arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart. As a result, some children who have Kawasaki disease may develop serious heart problems. One of the main symptoms during the early part of Kawasaki disease, called the acute phase, is fever. The fever lasts longer than 5 days. It remains high even after treatment with standard childhood fever medicines.
Even though the cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown, certain medicines are known to help. A high dose of aspirin helps to lower the fever. Aspirin also helps with the rash and the joint pain. It can keep your child's blood from making clots. As the fever reduces the dose of aspirin is also reduced gradually. Immunoglobulin's are also given intravenously (IV) and can decrease the risk of developing coronary artery abnormalities when given early in the illness. It usually takes a few weeks for a child to get over Kawasaki disease. The stay in the hospital varies from a few days till the illness begins to settle. It may take 3 or 4 weeks for your child to be fully back to normal. The child has to stay at home from school or day care until he or she feels strong enough to return. Continue to learn Infantile Convulsion in TCM.