Kawasaki Syndrome in Children: Current Problems of Diagnostics and Treatment
Kawasaki syndrome is acute vasculitis of unknown etiology, which occurs mainly in children under 5yearsofage,andwhichischaracterizedbyfever,bilateralnon-exudativeconjunctivitis,erythemaofthe lips and oral mucosa, changes in the peripheral parts of the limbs, exanthema and neck lymphadenitis. One of the most serious complications of Kawasaki syndrome is damage to the cardiovascular system, including formation of coronary artery aneurysms. Coronary artery aneurysms or ectasia develop in 25 of cases in untimely started treatment or its absence and can lead to coronary heart disease or sudden death. Timely initiation of treatment using intravenous immunoglobulin can reduce this risk to 4. The article presents modern data on the prevalence of pathology, provides specific diagnostic signs and disease criteria that let to verify the diagnosis and prescribe specific treatment as soon as possible. A clinical case of a patient with Kawasaki syndrome from the authors own practice is given.