As the child grows, it regularly comes into contact with viruses or bacteria, which can cause inflammation to develop. If the resistance is not good, inflammation of the vessel wall can sometimes occur. As a result, the child can potentially develop an aneurysm and drastically reduce blood pressure. What does Kawasaki disease mean and why does the child have a constant fever?
Kawasaki disease
- Influence of inflammation
- Vessel wall weakening
- Degree of occurrence
- Symptoms
- Treatment of Kawasaki disease
Influence of inflammation
Having inflammation in the body can have unpleasant consequences. Think of pain, swelling and cramping. In addition to tissue inflammation outside the blood vessels or blood infection, inflammation can also occur on the vessel wall. The vessel wall forms the barrier between the bloodstream and the surrounding tissue. What are the consequences if inflammation develops and how is Kawasaki disease further treated?
Vessel wall weakening
As a result of the inflammation, vessel wall cells are damaged, causing a decrease in strength. In other words, the blood vessels, veins, aorta and coronary artery can dilate, which can cause a serious drop in blood pressure. The most typical occurrence is an aneurysm, or a gradual increase in the diameter of a large vein. The problem is that the vessel wall can only undergo a certain stretch before the brittleness that occurs leads to cracks. In other words, potentially life-threatening internal bleeding occurs.
Degree of occurrence
Vascular wall inflammation can occur anywhere in the body. The vasodilation can therefore occur anywhere. The larger the cross-section of the vein, the greater the problems and possible consequences. It almost always occurs in small children up to five years old. Two out of three cases involve boys. It sometimes occurs in teenagers or adults, but in the vast majority of cases it concerns children. The disease is not common in our country and there are approximately eighty cases per year. It is not known what causes it, but it appears to be related to a defective immune system.
Symptoms
The inflammation affects the entire condition of the child. In addition to low blood pressure, the child’s mood and emotions will be affected. Think of being quick to anger, irritability and often insisting on parents. This is due to a reduced sense of satisfaction, because substances such as serotonin and dopamine are produced less. Because vessel wall tension decreases, the size of veins increases. Blood therefore flows more slowly and accumulates locally. It can therefore result in thrombosis formation. To tackle the internal inflammation, the less effective immune system must continuously work overtime. This leads to flu-like and feverish symptoms. The problem is that this fever is continuously present and therefore does not decrease after a few days. Moreover, it does not respond to antibiotic treatment. This circumstance is typical for this disease and can only decrease after proper treatment.
Treatment of Kawasaki disease
The condition of the coronary artery can be examined by means of an ultrasound scan of the heart. Having a coronary artery aneurysm can have far-reaching consequences. By diagnosing the disease in the child in a timely manner, the disease can be properly treated. In ninety percent of the cases, the child can recover completely. The treatment consists of administering a gamma globulin infusion combined with aspirin. Gamma globulin is used as a replacement for immunoglobulins, which are responsible for the immune system. In other words, the immune system is strengthened by additional shock troops, so that the inflammation is tackled directly. It is a protein extracted from the blood plasma of donors so that it can be administered to sick people. It is commonly used for Crohn’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis. The inflammation can be tackled through strengthened resistance, thus halting the weakening of the vessel wall. In addition, any aneurysm that may have occurred will decrease to a large extent, reducing the nuisance. In other words, the vessel wall can strengthen again, so that sufficient counter pressure is provided to the blood. Often a single infusion will be sufficient, because the child can recover very quickly. Sometimes the treatment lasts from several weeks to two months if it does not work immediately. Then additional medication will be necessary.
If your child has persistent fever symptoms that do not seem to go away, it may be Kawasaki disease. Because an aneurysm is potentially dangerous, it should be diagnosed quickly so that it is treated. Always have continuous fever assessed by a pediatrician.
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