Kawasaki disease is a rare health condition but a serious type of illness, which affects many young children. High fever is the striking feature, which comes and goes away for about 5 days. If you suspect that your child may suffer from kawasaki disease, you should consult with your family doctor or child specialist immediately.
Is The Kawasaki Disease Contagious?
Based on facts related to genetic and environmental aspects, including viral and bacterial infections, doctors should say that Kawasaki disease is not a contagious one. Instead, it takes place mainly because of genetic factors and in some cases, bacterial and viral infections result in the onset of the respective problem.
According to the hypothesis generated by worldwide leading medical researchers, Kawasaki Disease takes place due to the exposure of any genetically predisposed person has until now remained unidentified, because of which it is possibly because of the trigger of infection prevailing in the environment. Because of this, medical experts have to consider the discussion about potential environmental and genetic etiologies as complementary ones instead of conflicting theories. (1)
Genetic Aspect of Kawasaki Disease
- Epidemiology related to kawasaki disease suggests that Mendelian inheritance fails to determine the susceptibility towards kawasaki disease.
- According to the data, children belonging to East Asian origin are relatively more prone to suffer from the problem.
- Even though the highest numbers of kawasaki disease incidence witnessed in Japan, a few Japanese American children have experienced the same problem.
- Furthermore, children of Pacific Island, native Hawaii and Korea have suffered from Kawasaki disease.
- Considering these facts, we should say that genetic factor plays a major role in causing Kawasaki disease.
- Along with this, genetic predisposition also justifies those siblings of kawasaki disease patients within families remain at 10 times higher risk to suffer from the same problem. (1)
Environmental Aspects And Infections To Cause Kawasaki Disease
On the other side, if we talk about environmental aspects or infections to cause Kawasaki disease, we should say that viral or bacterial infections, along with humoral factors, super-antigens and a combination of super-antigen and convention peptide type of antigen are responsible for the onset of kawasaki disease problem. However, none of the studies has able to confirm about the presence of aetiological agents for the disease.
Until now, 33 percent of kawasaki disease patients have minimum one concurrent type of infection during their diagnosis. However, one has not found any correlation between a particular agent and severity of kawasaki disease course.
Medical researchers have found biochemical and clinical similarities in Kawasaki disease, along with streptococcal and staphylococcal toxin-mediated problems, all of which indicate the presence of bacterial toxin in the aetiology of Kawasaki disease. However, another research team isolated intracyto-plasmic bodies in the acute-stage of kawasaki disease patients, which suggest that the disease mainly takes place because of intracellular viral pathogen.
An intrinsic yet autoimmune cause behind kawasaki disease unlikely as per the latest evidence provided that patients lack autoantibodies, while absence of the problem’s recurrence and spontaneous resolution should prevail in the patients’ condition. (1)
Key Aspects Of Kawasaki Disease
- Kawasaki disease often affects infants and children below 5 years age. However, in some cases, it also affects many young children.
- Kawasaki disease results in high fever for minimum 5 days period.
- The problem causes heart damage or failure, while makes children miserable.
- Heart damage and other cardiovascular problems are preventable in case you start with early treatment of your child.
- In case of leaving kawasaki disease untreated, the problem may last for about 10 days or even more.
- Heart or blood vessels may become permanent if Kawasaki disease affects the heart of your child. (1)
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Also Read:
- Kawasaki Disease: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prognosis
- Can You Die From Kawasaki Disease?
- Natural Remedies For Kawasaki Disease
- Is There An Alternative Treatment For Kawasaki Disease?
- Does Kawasaki Disease Have Long Term Effects?
- Is Kawasaki Disease A Disability?
- How To Cope With Kawasaki Disease?
