Kawasaki disease is a potentially fatal autoimmune disorder characterized by the inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. Some describe this phenomenon as the body's immune system going into overdrive. This disease mostly affects children between the ages of 2 and 5; although infants and older children can be affected as well. If not caught and treated within 5 days this disease can lead to permanent cardiac damage. Kawasaki Disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. Treatment can include one or multiple transfusions of a blood product called IVIG. It takes over 1000 blood donors to create one dose of IVIG. Treatment can also include steroid and anti-coagulant therapy. The cause of Kawasaki Disease is still unknown, at this point it is believed to be the body's response to some unidentified virus.
Some symptoms include :
• Fever that lasts for five or more days
• Rash, often worse in the groin area
• Red bloodshot eyes, without drainage or crusting
• Bright red, swollen, cracked lips, “strawberry” tongue, which appears with shiny bright red spots after the top coating sloughs off
• Swollen hands and feet, redness of the palms and soles of the feet and peeling of the skin of hands and feet.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
Many questions still remain about this disease so I have made it my mission to help raise money to support further research into this disease as well as bringing awareness to the community.
For more information about this mysterious disease go to www.kdfoundation.org or www.thefacesofkd.com
Some symptoms include :
• Fever that lasts for five or more days
• Rash, often worse in the groin area
• Red bloodshot eyes, without drainage or crusting
• Bright red, swollen, cracked lips, “strawberry” tongue, which appears with shiny bright red spots after the top coating sloughs off
• Swollen hands and feet, redness of the palms and soles of the feet and peeling of the skin of hands and feet.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
Many questions still remain about this disease so I have made it my mission to help raise money to support further research into this disease as well as bringing awareness to the community.
For more information about this mysterious disease go to www.kdfoundation.org or www.thefacesofkd.com