Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory disease condition that occurs in the arteries, veins, and capillaries. This disease is generally found to attack toddlers and children. Although this disease is quite rare, the incidence rate is quite high. Especially in the area of Central Java which is estimated to have 6,000 cases of Kawasaki disease per year. Many cases of Kawasaki disease are handled too late because they are not properly diagnosed. In fact, this disease has complications to the heart that can cause death.
Why is it important to be aware of Kawasaki disease?
There is nothing wrong with parents being vigilant, considering that it is possible for a disease whose name is named after its discoverer in 1967, Tomisaku Kawasaki, to attack your child. The disease is also called mucocutaneous lymphnode syndrome because it causes typical changes in the mucous membranes of the lips and mouth, accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes followed by pain.
Most of the cases were found in Asia Pacific. About 40% of cases affect children under 4 years of age. The prevalence in the United States is 19 out of 100,000 children, and in Japan the figure is much higher, namely 175 out of 100,000 children affected by this disease. Boys are affected more often than girls, with a ratio of 1.5:1.
Dr. dr. Najib Advani at the International Symposium on Kawasaki Disease in San Diego, United States of America in February 2005 reported that there had been no cases of the disease in Indonesia. He is an expert on pediatric heart disease FKUI/RSCM and his colleagues then conducted a retrospective study at two hospitals in Jakarta.
In research to find patterns of the disease, he and his team found 27 patients who were clinically confirmed to have the disease. Since then, our country has been included in the world map of the Kawasaki disease. Moreover, in 2009 found 5,000 cases. Although the number of sufferers is quite prominent, the cause of the disease is still not known with certainty.
What causes Kawasaki disease?
Some researchers can only speculate that the cause is a toxin secreted by certain germs, although there is no strong evidence to support this assumption. Another suggestion is the role of genetic factors and the patient's immune system. Therefore, the specific way of prevention is not yet known.
What are the symptoms of Kawasaki disease?
The doctor can only suggest the need to maintain the child's immune system so that he is not infected with the disease, which is not proven to be contagious. We can recognize the signs and symptoms of the disease early, namely fever begins with a sudden high body temperature, which can reach 41 degrees Celsius; up and down for 5 days even though he was given fever-reducing medication.
After that, red spots appear on the body similar to measles. Eyes red but not watery or watery. The lips are also red, dry, and cracked, and the tongue and mucous membranes are strawberry-red (strawberry tongue).
Although laboratory tests can help, they still cannot confirm the diagnosis of the disease. Even in the healing phase, platelets increase and this triggers blood clots that can clog the coronary vessels of the heart. Therefore, patients should be treated in hospital in order to reduce the likelihood of developing heart complications.
How to prevent Kawasaki disease?
What cannot be taken lightly is the specific way to prevent this disease, which until now has not been known. We can only maintain the child's immune system so that he does not get infected. If you suspect that your child has Kawasaki disease, immediately consult a doctor to confirm the diagnosis so that you get proper and fast treatment.
Early diagnosis and therapy play a very important role so that treatment can be done as soon as possible. Speed of action is also important to prevent complications. The complications that are feared are heart defects, among others, through inflammation of blood vessels which eventually causes abnormalities in the coronary arteries, which are large blood vessels that are very important for supplying blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
If your child shows symptoms of Kawasaki disease, he should be taken to the hospital immediately so he can get the right treatment quickly. Because with proper treatment, it can reduce the impact of Kawasaki disease which may be more serious on children's health. Delayed treatment can cause various complications of other more serious diseases.
This article was written by Prof. Dr. dr. Najib Advani, Sp. A(K), MMed (Paed) (Cardiologist Pediatrician and also a Specialist in the Management of Kawasaki Disease at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital).