For most people, when they hear the term “Kawasaki” they think of a Kawasaki Motorcycle.
Most people haven’t heard of Kawasaki Disease and that’s what I’m hear to talk about today. Kawasaki Disease is an extremely rare disease that usually affected a specific type of person:
1. Asians – It originated in Japan and that’s usually where you’ll find someone with Kawasaki Disease.
2. Children – It usually appears in children that are 5 or younger.
3. Males
Let me tell you my story: (and if you can stick through to the end, there is an interesting theory)
I was 15 years old (need I remind you: female and very white). I had stayed the night at a friends house and woke up the next morning getting ready to head home. On our way home which was about a 30 minute drive, I started feeling bad, just yucky, and figured I was getting strep or something. When I got home (probably around 9 or 10 that morning), I went to my room, closed the door, and fell asleep. I didn’t wake up until about 6:30pm and when I woke up, I felt TERRIBLE! I could hardly function or move. I figured I had seriously been hit with some type of sickness such as strep or mono. I also had a raging fever. I went to the doctor and he assumed I had strep too, so he sent me home with an antibiotic. After I took the antibiotic, I began breaking out in terrible hives that completely covered my body, from my face, to my hands, to my ankles, even my back and chest. I went to another doctor and they tested me for mono. The mono test came back negative, but they gave me a shot for the mono anyways, which made my hives even worse. We eventually went to UMC (University of Mississippi Medical Center) and they too were unsure of what I had. They sent me home on Friday and said that if my fever persists and doesn’t go away by Monday then they would admit me into the hospital. Of course, the fever was still there (at this point, I had reached a 104 degree fever multiple times). I was admitted for 9 days. They tested me for everything and nothing came back positive (there is no test for Kawasaki Disease because of its rarity). They eventually made the call that it’s Kawasaki Disease and the only way we’d know for sure is to give me the treatment and if it works, then that’s what it was. Luckily, it had worked and I was able to leave the hospital. I ended up missing 3 weeks of school because of my sickness and had to return to school for half-days because I was so weak. Because I could hardly move from what they assumed was “Juvenile Arthritis” as a side-effect of the Disease, I ended up spending lots of time in bed, lost a lot of strength and function in my legs, and blacked out twice when I would hobble to the bathroom.
Some of the things I ran into with Kawasaki Disease: hives, swollen fingers and feet, frozen hands (occasionally my hand would just freeze in a position and I was unable to move it without being in severe pain), 104 degree fevers.
Here is some information on Kawasaki Disease: (I got this information from Pub Med Health)
Kawasaki disease occurs most frequently in Japan, where the disease was first discovered. In the United States, after congenital heart defects, Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of heart disease in children. Most of these patients are younger than age 5. The disease occurs more often in boys than in girls.
Kawasaki disease is a poorly understood illness. The cause has not been determined. It may be an autoimmune disorder. The disorder affects the mucus membranes, lymph nodes, walls of the blood vessels, and the heart.
Kawasaki disease can cause inflammation of blood vessels in the arteries, especially the coronary arteries. This inflammation can lead to aneurysms. An aneurysm can lead to a heart attack, even in young children, although this is rare
Other Symptoms:
Extremely bloodshot or red eyes (without pus or drainage)
Bright red, chapped, or cracked lips
Red mucous membranes in the mouth
Strawberry tongue, white coating on the tongue, or prominent red bumps on the back of the tongue
Red palms of the hands and the soles of the feet
Swollen hands and feet
Skin rashes on the middle of the body, NOT blister-like
Peeling skin in the genital area, hands, and feet (especially around the nails, palms, and soles)
Swollen lymph nodes (frequently only one lymph node is swollen), particularly in the neck area
Joint pain and swelling, frequently on both sides of the body
Bright red, chapped, or cracked lips
Red mucous membranes in the mouth
Strawberry tongue, white coating on the tongue, or prominent red bumps on the back of the tongue
Red palms of the hands and the soles of the feet
Swollen hands and feet
Skin rashes on the middle of the body, NOT blister-like
Peeling skin in the genital area, hands, and feet (especially around the nails, palms, and soles)
Swollen lymph nodes (frequently only one lymph node is swollen), particularly in the neck area
Joint pain and swelling, frequently on both sides of the body
Today: Everything seems normal today! There is risk of re-lapse though, but I haven’t experienced it yet. When I was diagnosed, my coronary artery was extremely swollen which put me at great risk for a aneurysm, but luckily it shrunk a good bit, although it’s still somewhat swollen.
A theory on Kawasaki Disease: It is a well known theory that carpet cleaning chemicals can cause Kawasaki Disease, but it has to begin from a viral infection (strep or the like). It usually takes a month to show up. Over Thanksgiving, I had gone to visit my aunt who had just carpet cleaned her carpets and I played on the carpet with my baby cousins. I remember making a comment that the carpet was still damp. Almost a month later, over Christmas Break, I got really sick and ended up with Kawasaki Disease.
WOW!! I have never heard of this and didn’t know this about you!! I am glad that you haven’t had a flare up, but do you take medicine for it and all? Such a scary thing I’m sure!
So scary to go through at a young age… or any age really! I’m so glad they were able to finally diagnose it!
thanks for posting, its super interesting to me because my brother had kawasaki disease when he was a kid… and they believe it was from cleaning their carpets as well.
A close friend of mine’s dad had Kawasaki Disease a few years ago. I had never heard of it either! It took the doctors SO long to figure out what was wrong with him and he was very sick. He is doing much better now and I’m so glad you are too! What a scary thing to go through!
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I have never heard of this, but I’m glad the doctors were finally able to diagnose you. Crazy story!
My mom is a nurse so I have heard of this, but had no idea of the side effects. Glad everything worked out and you are healthy now!
I have heard the term before but never knew what it entailed. Wow, what a story – glad you’re doing ok!
This is the first time I’ve ever heard of this! WOW! So glad they were able to figure it out and get you the medication you needed. Otherwise, I might not have been able to meet you! And, I’m hoping to see you this Saturday. I know you have a lot going on, so I’ll understand if not… but I really hope you do make it!