Kawasaki Disease
Kawasaki DiseaseDuring the late twentieth century many new diseases have been discovered. Tomisaku Kawasaki discovered one of these diseases, Kawasaki disease, or technically mucocutaneous lymph node disease, in 1961. This particular disease remained undetected for so long because its cause is still unknown. Dr. Kawasaki, a pediatrician, uncovered this disease after studying fifty cases during his practice in Japan. Kawasaki found that in those fifty cases most were characterized by fever, redness of the eyes, diffuse red rash, redness and swelling of the hands and feet, as well as enlarged lymph nodes in the neck.
In Kawasaki�s studies only those five and under were examined for this disease, however it has been shown to affect a few over that age. The peak age of those affected are eighteen to twenty-four months. Eighty percent of the cases involve children ages four and under. As shown in Figure 1, those affected are children usually age four or less. The graph of Figure 1 clearly shows that there is the greatest percentage of those diagnosed at the age of three or less. Kawasaki disease is very rare over the age of ten and any time that it is diagnosed to a patient above that age it should be interpreted with suspicion. The diagnosis may not be completely accurate because there is still as of yet no definitive way to test for Kawasaki disease, only the doctor�s interpretation of the symptoms. In the United States approximately three thousand patients will be hospitalized for Kawasaki disease every year. Even with the amount of cases and the time being spent into investigating and treating the disease there are still many unanswered questions.
The highest incidence of Kawasaki disease is found in Japan. The chance of Kawasaki disease in Japanese children under the age of five is approximately one tenth of a percent. The incidence in North American children under the age of five is ten times lower, about one one hundredth of a percent. Asian Americans are at the highest risk of developing Kawasaki disease followed by African Americans and then Caucasians. The disease tends to be more common and to present more severe consequences in males than females. The disease appears to be seasonal, occurring more frequently in the winter and spring months.
Kawasaki was also the first that noticed the disease has no definite cause. He was unable to determine the cause of the disease. No other doctor has yet to determine the cause of the disease either. Originally it was thought to be a retrovirus. This theory has lacked support in the recent decades as more and more doctors begin to point to the genetics of the people it affects as the main reason for infection. It is believed by those that follow this idea that a certain person might be genetically predisposed to the disease. This belief has been furthered by the fact...
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