An-Najah News - Critically ill children have been ending up in intensive care units with shock-like symptoms in recent weeks,. health worker said many young patientswith inflammation in multiple organ systems and features of Kawasaki disease, a childhood illness of unclear origin adding yet another mysterious layer to the coronavirus pandemic   

Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory condition in children who develop a prolonged fever, inflammation of the mouth and lips, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, inflamed eyes, and lymph node swelling that typically is only on one side of the neck. There can also be incomplete cases that do not have all these symptoms.

Kawasaki disease can have serious consequences: Roughly one-quarter of children diagnosed with it will have inflammation in the vessels that feed the heart, and rarely children will present with heart attacks or shock and need prolonged intensive care Unfortunately, we don't know what causes Kawasaki disease. 

Despite not knowing what causes Kawasaki disease, it can be timely treatments with pooled human antibody preparations – intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG – can significantly reduce the heart vessel inflammation.

 Instead, details have been shared among the medical community in conference calls, message boards and online meetings.
There are a number of reasons why the new COVID-19-associated inflammatory disorder and Kawasaki disease seem to be different entities.

That being said, some children with Kawasaki disease will test positive for the new coronavirus. In North America, there are estimated to be 5,000-6,000 annual cases of Kawasaki disease. Overlaying more than 1 million cases of COVID-19 throughout the United States, there will be some overlap.

Reports about these new pediatric COVID-19-associated cases are very preliminary. We will learn more as research and details about ongoing and future cases are compiled by the medical community and published