UPSC Articles
Kawasaki disease
Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Science – Health and Medicine
About:
- Kawasaki disease is a syndrome of unknown cause that results in a fever and mainly affects children under 5 years of age.
- It is a form of vasculitis, where blood vessels become inflamed throughout the body.
- The fever typically lasts for more than five days and is not affected by usual medications.
Why in news?
- Children with Covid-19 infection have often shown some symptoms similar to those associated with a rare illness called Kawasaki disease.
- World Health Organization (WHO) termed this new illness “multisystem inflammatory disorder”.
Symptoms:
- It affects children.
- Its symptoms include red eyes, rashes, and a swollen tongue with reddened lips — often termed strawberry tongue — and an inflamed blood vessel system all over the body.
- There is constant high fever for at least five days.
- The disease also affects coronary functions in the heart.
Do you know?
- What causes Kawasaki disease is not yet known.
- It is an immunological reaction to an infection or a virus. A child’s immunity system responds to a particular infection and develops these symptoms.
