[Kawasaki disease in children: epidemiology, clinical symptoms, diagnostics and treatment].

Kawasaki disease is a multisystem inflammatory disease of small- and medium-sized blood vessels with acute and self limiting course. It occurs most frequently in children under five years of age and is characterized by high fever lasting more than five days, conjunctivitis, stomatitis, edema of hands or feet erythema of the palms and soles, epidermic desquamation of the fingers and toes, polymorphic rush and cervical lymphadenopathy. Such symptoms from other organs as cholestatic jaundice, inflammation and hydrops of the gallbladder, pancreatitis, hepatitis and traits of acute abdomen can also be present. The most serious complications of Kawasaki disease are coronary aneurysms. The principal treatment of the disease is intravenous infusion of immunoglobulin and aspirin. Prompt diagnosis with echocardiogram and the treatment with immunoglobulins before 10th day after the first symptoms improve prognosis and diminish life threatening complication such as coronary arteries aneurysms.