The Complexities of the Diagnosis and Management of Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease (KD) must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any child with fever for 4 to 5 days and compatible clinical and laboratory features, and in any infant with prolonged fever and compatible laboratory features, even in the absence of the classic clinical signs. Prompt therapy is required, because delayed or unrecognized KD can lead to lifelong heart disease or death in previously healthy children. Most children with KD respond to a single 2 g/kg dose of intravenous gammaglobulin with oral aspirin, but a small subset require additional therapies to resolve the clinical illness.