Spotting Kawasaki Disease

We NEED you to KNOW Kawasaki Disease!

Why? Because Kawasaki Disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in UK children. It is important that everyone KNOWS Kawasaki Disease so that affected children can receive treatment quickly. This will reduce the risk of them suffering lifelong heart damage.

Kawasaki Disease can often get confused with other childhood illnesses which can lead to delays in a child’s treatment. However, there are ways that you can KNOW Kawasaki Disease and tell it apart from other illnesses that your child might have. This year, for International Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day, we’re giving you all the information you NEED to KNOW Kawasaki Disease to help protect children’s hearts.

How can you spot Kawasaki Disease?

 

There will ALWAYS be a fever with temperature of 38°C or over in a child with Kawasaki Disease. The fever tends to be persistent even when using a medicine like paracetamol which would usually reduce a high temperature. Sometimes the fever might come and go – but a child who hasn’t had a fever is very unlikely to have Kawasaki Disease.

 

Children with Kawasaki Disease are very irritable. Their whole body will hurt, and they will feel uncomfortable. They will struggle to settle and will seem extremely upset. A child who is happy to sit and play with their toys is unlikely to have Kawasaki Disease.

There are some other symptoms which might appear, and which can be helpful to clinicians when diagnosing Kawasaki Disease. Sometimes these symptoms might come and go quickly and appear at different times, but it is important to tell your doctor if you see them – some symptoms may not appear at all, but if a child has any two of the following symptoms along with a persistent high fever for five days, please THINK Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki Disease is sometimes referred to as the RED DISEASE! With the above cluster of symptoms, you can see why!

The majority of poorly children will NOT have Kawasaki Disease – the important thing is to KNOW Kawasaki Disease, so you can THINK Kawasaki Disease when it matters.

How can you remember all this information?

Download our handy TEMPERS mnemonic leaflet here and you’ll have all the information you need to KNOW Kawasaki Disease!