What Is It? Kawasaki disease is a rare illness that typically
strikes children younger than age 5. It is also known as
mucocutaneous lymph node disease. Kawasaki disease is a
mysterious illness of unknown cause, although some scientists
suspect that the cause may be an infection (such as a virus or a
toxin from a bacterium. Kawasaki disease was first identified
among Japanese children in 1967, and within nine years, the
illness had been reported in American children living in Hawaii.
Although researchers assume that the Kawasaki disease could have
been caused by an infection that was carried between Japan and
Hawaii, this has never been confirmed. Recent evidence suggests
that inherited (genetic) factors may also be important, but the
cause of Kawasaki disease remains a mystery. Kawasaki disease
makes children ill by triggering inflammation in many different
parts of the body. In the heart, this inflammation can take the
form of myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle), pericarditis
(inflammation of membran