Kawasaki disease

Kawasaki's disease is rare, especially in our country. Its other name is giant cell arteritis. For the first time the case was described in 1967, in Japan, where the disease is still much more common than in other countries.

Her etiology is not fully understood yet, but according to the assumptions, the causative agent is the retrovirus, which leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in the human body. It is interesting that Kawasaki's disease affects mainly children under the age of 4, who have weakened immunity, and more often boys. In our country, the diagnosis of "Kawasaki disease" is extremely rare, about 10 cases per year. However, the real figure can be higher, because not every doctor manages to recognize the symptoms of the disease and make a correct diagnosis.

Despite the variety of symptoms, several key points are important for diagnosis. Kawasaki disease begins with an increase in temperature, which can last from 5-10 to 15-20days. The patients develop conjunctivitis, which affects both eyes. Two weeks after the onset of the disease, the skin on the palms and soles becomes denser, reddens and begins to peel off. It happens that Kawasaki's disease is accompanied by a rash in various parts of the body, which is polymorphic in nature. After a while, it swells, and then disappears. If you look into the mouth of a sick child, you can find the so-called "strawberry", swollen tongue, bright red and the presence of small hemorrhages on the gums, the inner side of the cheeks. Lips also become swollen and crack. Develops hyperemia of throat, nasal congestion is observed. Often, on one side of the neck, lymph nodes increase, which, when palpated, cause pain. To the accompanying symptoms of the disease Kawasaki include headache, general malaise, joint pain, stomach upset accompanied by pain and vomiting.

The diagnosis is made by the doctor both on the basis of clinical symptoms, and guided by the results of the patient's analyzes. If the blood level of the patient is elevated levels of ESR, C-reactive protein, antitrypsin, transaminase, and the indicators speak of anemia and thrombocytosis, the doctor will not doubt the diagnosis of Kawasaki. The disease is also characterized by the presence in the urine of protein and pus.

This disease is dangerous because it can cause complications on the heart, up to the occurrence of heart failure, myocardial infarction and mechanical jaundice. The patient with the slightest suspicion of Kawasaki is sent for observation to the cardiologist and echocardiography is performed. With an acute form of the disease, inflammation of the heart muscle occurs. Although statistics on such cases are rare. But an aneurysm of the coronary arteries usually develops in 20% of patients. If, during an illness, the membranes of the brain are affected, then aseptic meningitis may develop. As complications on the joints arthritis appears, with gallbladder involvement - dropsy, and otitis media also applies to complications.

In the treatment of the disease, first of all, they focus on ensuring the protection of the cardiovascular system and preventing failures in its work. The patient is prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in high doses, corticosteroid creams and ointments. Daily for 5-7 days the patient is intravenously injected with immunoglobulin, to improve immunity and speedy recovery of the patient. Such a well-known medicine as an aspirin, is able to provide invaluable help in the fight against a rare disease. It combines several properties at once and is used as an antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and blood thinning remedy. In the case of Kawasaki disease, it is used even for children under 12 years old. Recently, for dilution of blood, patients are prescribed heparin. Especially successfully, Kawasaki's disease is treated in Israel's medical facilities, where patients undergo the procedure of plasmapheresis - purification of blood plasma.