{"id":5535,"date":"2019-04-10T03:30:48","date_gmt":"2019-04-10T03:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=5535"},"modified":"2021-03-30T16:21:55","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T16:21:55","slug":"15-early-signs-of-kawasaki-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/15-early-signs-of-kawasaki-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Early Signs of Kawasaki Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Kawasaki disease is the inflammation of the medium arteries. The coronary arteries are usually affected. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscles. Kawasaki disease can affect other parts of your body, such as the lymph nodes and mucous membranes inside of the nose, mouth, and throat. With this disease, children are primarily affected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When children have this disease, it can be frightening for both children and parents, but it can be treated. A lot of children have been treated without any serious problems in their lives. In order to find out if your child has Kawasaki disease, there are eight early signs to look out for. Your child won\u2019t have all of the symptoms, but he or she will have common signs, such as a high fever. Once you know the signs, you can go and get treatment for your child immediately. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. High fever <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is an early sign that your child has Kawasaki disease. The fever temperature to look out for is 102.2 degrees and has lasted for more than three days. You may have tried all kinds of methods to get rid of the fever<\/a>, but nothing has helped. Even if aspirin has helped, the fever more than likely has come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is time to seek medical attention right away because a reoccurring fever is nothing to play with. The child\u2019s doctor will conduct a series of tests, including urine and blood tests. Once the tests come back showing your child has Kawasaki disease, the doctor will get started on a treatment plan. If your child\u2019s fever doesn\u2019t go down, the doctor may place your child into the hospital until it does. While in the hospital, the child will begin treatment, which could include aspirin and gamma globulin, which is a transfusion of immune protein into the veins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Peeling of the hands and feet <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is another early sign of Kawasaki disease. The peeling usually occurs on the tips of the toes and fingers and is in large sheets. It may not be a good idea to try to peel the skin off yourself because it could be painful<\/a>. You can try soaking the hands and feet in warm water and Epsom salt to soften the dead skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you do decide to peel it off yourself, take your time. A thick moisturizing cream can be used on the peeling skin, but it has to be used often. The moisturizing cream may not work as well with Kawasaki disease because it\u2019s affecting the way the body heals. As soon as your child is diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and their body starts healing itself, the hands and feet should start to heal. You can continue using the moisturizing cream to speed up the healing process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. The child will be irritable all of the time <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

when he or she has Kawasaki disease. You won\u2019t understand why your child is irritable. If they are a teenager<\/a>, you may just think it\u2019s just a teenage thing. When children have emotional issues, parents usually take them to a psychiatrist who can determine what is wrong. A psychiatrist is good to have for the child, but you will notice that their behavior won\u2019t change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After you talk to a psychiatrist, you need to go to your child\u2019s doctor and have him or her examined. Your doctor will let you know what the results are of the examination. Since it\u2019s early, the treatment that your doctor prescribes will improve your child\u2019s overall health condition. The irritable mood should start to lessen with the help of the psychiatrist and the treatment for Kawasaki disease. Your child will feel and look like a new person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Joint pain <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is an early sign that your child has Kawasaki disease. Most children don\u2019t have joint <\/a>problems unless they have a health condition that was diagnosed early in life. Joint pain, it will affect a child\u2019s ability to be physically active. At school, they will have to sit down a lot because of the pain. Aspirin will help with the joint pain, but they have to keep taking it every so often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aspirin is good with Kawasaki disease. In fact, aspirin is given for Kawasaki disease to lower the risk of having blood clots. The doctor will tell you the proper way to take the aspirin to prevent clots. Gamma globulin may be another treatment that will help your child\u2019s joint pain. It\u2019s an immune protein that is injected with a needle through the veins. It has been reported that children have shown improvement with just one treatment of gamma globulin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Vomiting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is a sign to look out for when your child has Kawasaki disease. Your child can be in the middle of eating and just vomit<\/a>. The child may not even feel sick. Let the child rest and contact his or her doctor. If the vomiting is too bad, take the child to the emergency room. In the emergency room, the medical staff will take blood and imaging tests to see if they can figure out what\u2019s going on with your child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The medical staff may suggest that your child stays overnight at the hospital so that they can keep a watchful eye out on them. Once the medical staff comes up with their findings, they will tell you what you need to do next for your child. You may have to go to several doctors after leaving the hospital. Besides the aspirin regimen, your child may have to take an immune protein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. The hands and soles of the feet will be swollen and red<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The hands and soles of the feet will be swollen <\/a>and red because of having Kawasaki disease. A lot of the times your hands and feet are swollen and red are because the blood isn\u2019t circulating throughout the body correctly. With swollen feet, it will be painful to walk or stand on your feet for too long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes the foods you eat can cause redness and swollen feet and hands. If your child is eating healthy, there is something else there and you need to find out what it is. The doctor will look at the affected parts of the child\u2019s body and may suggest a cream. If the cream doesn\u2019t work, you may need to find another doctor or just take him or her to the ER. The ER takes thorough tests to see what is going on inside of the body itself. It may be frightening, but they will find what is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Abdominal pain <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

is an early sign of Kawasaki disease. In a female, a parent might think she\u2019s having menstrual cramps<\/a>, but if it\u2019s not that time of the month, it has to be something else. Sometimes if abdominal pain is severe, it can cause vomiting. With Kawasaki disease, the pain can occur at any time and anywhere. If the child is at school, you will have to take the child home or to the doctor\u2019s office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you go to see the doctor, ask the doctor to take urine and blood tests. Kawasaki disease should show in these tests. When the doctor checks your child\u2019s heart, the doctor will know if there is a problem or not. Additional tests for the heart may be needed. The doctor will more than likely suggest gamma globulin for the child. This should alleviate abdominal pain. The child may not want it since a needle has to be inserted into the vein, but it will help him or her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Extremely red eyes <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

are an early sign that your child has Kawasaki disease. This is different than having a pink eye<\/a>. This isn\u2019t contagious but is an indicator that your child has a serious health issue. With red eyes, the blood is not circulating in the body and that\u2019s not good because the heart more than likely is not getting proper blood. Parents need to take their child to the ER immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your child\u2019s heart will be monitored and may need to stay in the hospital for a few days until the eyes clear. The doctors at the hospital will diagnose your child with Kawasaki disease and tell you what will happen next. If this is the child\u2019s first time in the hospital, it will be scary. You need to be supportive and by their side during this time. The doctors can explain to you what Kawasaki disease is and what treatments are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9.    Swollen Lymph Nodes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The lymphatic system is a network of glands and nodes <\/a>in the body filled with lymphatic fluid. The task of the lymphatic system is to remove toxins like bacteria and viruses from the bloodstream, trapping them in the lymph nodes where they purge from the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients experiencing the effects of Kawasaki\u2019s disease may notice the inflammation and swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, groin, and armpits. This symptom is a sign that the immune system is working overtime to trap and kill the virus before it does severe damage to the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient may find that the lymph nodes swell to the size of a kidney bean or pea, and they may develop a reddish-pink color. This occurrence is an entirely normal part of the process of dealing with Kawasaki\u2019s, and should not be a cause for alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, should the lymph nodes turn bright red and become firm or hard, the patient should seek immediate medical attention.
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10.    Chills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the disease starts to infect the body, the patient may begin to develop a fever. Fevers occur when pyrogens attach to nerve endings, signaling the nervous system to increase the base temperature of the body. Fever is our natural defense system against infection, and in most cases \u2013 it\u2019s effective at killing the invading pathogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in some cases, the body may keep increasing the temperature as the patient battles with fending off the infection. As a result, the increase in setpoint temperature creates a lag in biological response time, causing the patient to experience chills<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may feel strange to be racked with chills when you\u2019re in the middle of dealing with a fever, but it\u2019s a sign that your immune system is in overdrive trying to battle the disease. In most cases, the symptoms of high temperature and chills only last 24 to 48-hours, depending on the severity of the viral or bacterial infection. Should the patient develop a temperature above 102F, they should seek immediate medical treatment to break the fever.
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11.    Dehydration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients infected with Kawasaki\u2019s disease may find that they start to develop vomiting symptoms. As a result, they run the risk of running dangerously low on vital body fluids and minerals. Dehydration<\/a> is the most severe complication associated with Kawasaki\u2019s disease. As a result, doctors recommend that patients replace their body fluids after each bout of vomiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s vital that patients use mineral water to replenish their fluid levels. When we vomit, we not only lose valuable water from our bodies, but we also lose vital minerals and electrolytes as well. We rely on a delicate balance of potassium, sodium, calcium, and phosphorous. When we experience a mineral imbalance, it leads to a loss of electrolytes in the body as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When electrolytes start running low, we can develop seizure symptoms that can affect the health of the brain, resulting in brain damage. If the patient continues to vomit after 48-hours, and cannot keep down any fluids, it\u2019s vital that you take them to the emergency room for rehydration with IV fluids.
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12.    Inflammation of Blood Vessels <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kawasaki\u2019s disease can cause inflammation <\/a>of blood vessels, known as \u201cvasculitis.\u201d Also known as, \u201cangiitis and arteritis,\u201d this condition produces changes in the walls of the vessels, either thickening, thinning, scarring, or narrowing the vessels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of these changes, the patient may start to experience a restriction in circulation, resulting in tissue and organ damage. Most forms of vasculitis are rare, and the patient may only have one organ affected by the condition. Vasculitis is either short-term, (acute), or long-term, (chronic). Most patients with Kawasaki\u2019s will receive acute symptoms of vasculitis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, the patient recovers on their own. However, should the condition reach the chronic stage, the doctor may choose to treat the symptoms with medication. Vasculitis causes a range of symptoms which include those that the patient may already be facing, such as fatigue, headache, and a fever. On occasion, vasculitis may cause problems with the nervous system, leading to involuntary jerking or muscle spasms.
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13.    Heart Inflammation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients dealing with Kawasaki\u2019s disease may also experience inflammation of the cardiovascular <\/a>system as a more severe complication of the disease. Myocarditis describes a condition where the heart muscle inflames, reducing its ability to pump blood throughout the body, leading to a drop in circulation. Myocarditis may also cause irregular heartbeats, known as, \u201carrhythmias,\u201d as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myocarditis typically occurs due to viral infection, and the patient may start to experience symptoms that exacerbate the symptoms of their current situation. Chest pain, fatigue, and shortness of breath are all common symptoms associated with myocarditis. In severe cases, the diminished circulatory capacity of the heart may lead to the formation of clots that lodge in the heart valves, leading to congestive heart failure and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the state of the patient, and the severity of the infection, the doctor may choose to use anti-viral medications to treat the myocarditis and return the patient to normal cardiovascular health.
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14.    Heart Valve Issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kawasaki\u2019s disease causes a few complications affecting the cardiovascular system. Apart from myocarditis and vasculitis., Kawasaki\u2019s may induce problems with the normal function of the heart valves<\/a> as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people may not notice any change in heart function attributed to dysfunction of the heart valves, while others may find they develop symptoms of chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, light-headedness, and fatigue. Should the patient fail to receive a diagnosis and treatment for their condition, they may run the risk of developing a life-threatening form of valve disease that can result in the death of the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms do not necessarily indicate the severity of the condition, and patients will require a chest x-ray to uncover the extent of the damage to the heart. In most cases, if the physician catches the problem in time, there may be no lasting damage to the heart valves or the cardiovascular system. However, if the patient does not receive any treatment, they could end up in a life-threatening position.
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