Why do children get Kawasaki disease?

Many people may not have heard of Kawasaki disease, but parents with babies at home must be familiar with Kawasaki disease. Because Kawasaki disease mainly affects children under four years old, it can cause great harm to children's bodies. At the same time, if parents do not discover Kawasaki disease in their children in time, they will miss the best time for treatment. But why do children get Kawasaki disease?

1. What is Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease is also called mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome. The disease was first proposed by Fukusaku Kawasaki of Japan, so it was named Kawasaki disease after Kawasaki. The main symptoms of Kawasaki disease are fever, rash, conjunctival congestion and cervical lymph node enlargement. If not treated, 15-20% of children may suffer from coronary artery damage, causing coronary artery dilatation and coronary artery aneurysm. It is currently the most common cause of acquired heart disease. It is more common in infants and young children, mostly in babies under 5 years old, and more common in boys than in girls.

2. Causes of Kawasaki disease

The cause of Kawasaki disease is still unclear. It may be related to infection (such as staphylococcal, streptococcal, rickettsial, and mycoplasma infection), but it has not been confirmed. The possible mechanism is the special components of the infectious agent, such as superantigens, which induce the baby's body's immune response, thereby causing systemic vasculitis.

3. Symptoms of Kawasaki disease

Fever: Usually a high fever of 39 to 40°C, lasting 7 to 14 days or longer, and not responding to antibiotic treatment.

Conjunctival congestion: usually appears 3 to 4 days after onset, without purulent secretions, and gradually disappears after the baby's fever subsides.

Lip and oral manifestations: The lips are congested and cracked, the oral mucosa is diffusely congested, and the lingual papillae on the tongue are raised, forming a strawberry tongue.

Symptoms of hands and feet: In the acute phase of the disease, hard edema appears on the back of the hands and feet, and diffuse erythema appears on the palms and soles. In the recovery phase, membranous peeling appears around the nails and toenails, and in severe cases, the nails will also fall off.

Skin manifestations: usually appear in the first week, manifested as erythema multiforme and scarlet fever-like rash; redness and peeling of the perianal skin.

Swollen lymph nodes in the neck: Swollen lymph nodes in the neck may occur unilaterally or bilaterally. The lymph nodes are hard and tender, but the surface is not red and will not fester.

4. Under what circumstances do you need to see a doctor?

When your baby has a high fever for 4 to 5 days and has the above-mentioned symptoms of Kawasaki disease, you need to take your baby to see a doctor, and the doctor will determine whether your baby has Kawasaki disease. It should be noted that Kawasaki disease cannot be diagnosed based on a single symptom, and sometimes the symptoms are not very typical, so sometimes you may need to see a doctor several times for a diagnosis.