Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Kawasaki Disease
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Kawasaki Disease
by tami__0__0, Mar 11, 1999 12:00AM
I was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease when I was 12 years old. I am now 28 years old and have been wondering if there are any studies showing the incidence of long term effects of the disease (and not just heart complications). I was tested for heart problems while in the hospital, 1 year later, and then again 5 years later. Thankfully,no heart problems were found in any of those tests. I am currently experiencing problems that seem to be repetitive strain injuries in my arms and hands and will be seeing a specialist soon. I remember having the pain from arthritis in my fingers when I was in the hospital with Kawasaki. Is it possible this could end up being a precursor for arthritis in Kawasaki patients later on? I would appreciate any direction you can give me about finding any research or collection of information about Kawasaki patients later in life. Thank You.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF Cardio MD - MTR, Mar 11, 1999 12:00AM
_
Dear Tammi, thank you for your question. Generally, Kawasaki's Disease is a self-limited problem that mostly resolves after the acute phase of the illness. As you know, Kawasaki's is primarily seen in children and is identified by conjunctivitis, reddening of the palms, lips, and oral cavity, a generalized rash, and swollen lymph nodes. The cardiac manifestations of Kawasaki's are mainly the formation of coronary artery aneurysms and inflammation of the heart muscle and the pericardium. Coronary aneurysms are the most worrisome complication so an echocardiogram is usually done when Kawasaki's is diagnosed to rule out this problem. I presume that was done in your case. However, it appears to be rare that coronary aneurysms develop after the acute phase of the illness. Thus, I doubt that you have any cardiac involvement at this point, but you would need to be evaluated by your own physician to be sure. The pain in your arms and hands is probably from repetitive motion injuries and not from delayed Kawasaki's arthritis. For more information on the long-term complications of Kawasaki's Disease, try these articles which could be found at any medical library.
Kato H, et. al. Circulation. 1996;94:1379-1385.
Dajani AS, et. al. Circulation. 1993;87:1776-1780.
Dajani AS, et. al. Circulation. 1994;89:916-922.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
