Department of Emergency Medicine

UMEM Educational Pearls

Title: Kawasaki Disease

Category: Pediatrics

Posted: 6/25/2011 by Rose Chasm, MD
Click here to contact Rose Chasm, MD

  • second most common vasculitis of childhood
  • leading cause of acquired heart disease in children
  • usually in children <5years old
  • year-round with clusters in spring and winter
  • highest incidence in children of asian decent
  • clinical diagnosis requires fever for at least 5 days and a minimum of 4 of the following:
  1. bilateral conjunctival injection without exudate
  2. rash (often macular, polymorphous with no vesicles, most prominent in perineum followed by desquamation
  3. changes in the skin of the lips and oral cavity (red pharynx, dry fissured lips, strawberry tongue)
  4. changes in the extremities (edema, redness of hands and feet followed by desquamation)
  5. cervical lymphadenopathy

References

MedStudy Corecurriculum,

Pediatrics Board Review, 2004


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