What is Kawasaki disease?

Kawasaki disease is a rare illness that mostly affects children under 5 years of age. The exact cause is not known. It is a type of vasculitis (an illness involving inflamed blood vessels).

What are the symptoms of Kawasaki disease?

Common symptoms of Kawasaki disease include:

• fever lasting 5 days or more
• a red bumpy rash
• red eyes without discharge
• red, dry, cracked lips
• a strawberry-like red tongue
• swollen and red hands and feet
• swollen glands in the neck

Your child may be very irritable. They may also have other symptoms such as joint pain, stomach pain, nausea or diarrhoea.

Later on, they may have peeling skin on their fingers and toes.

There are many conditions that have similar symptoms — your doctor will consider these before diagnosing Kawasaki disease.

Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS) has many similar symptoms to Kawasaki disease. PIMS is a rare complication of COVID-19 infection. If your child develops any of these symptoms after having COVID-19, see your doctor immediately.

Read more on serious childhood rashes.

What causes Kawasaki disease?

Doctors don't know the exact cause of Kawasaki disease, but it happens when a child's immune system overreacts to an infection. Kawasaki disease doesn't spread from person to person.

Kawasaki disease is more common in people of North Asian ethnicity and is more common in males than females.

When should I see my doctor?

Contact your doctor if your child is showing signs of Kawasaki disease or has an ongoing fever. Your doctor might refer your child to a paediatrician (children's doctor) or hospital emergency department.

How is Kawasaki disease diagnosed?

There is no single test to identify Kawasaki disease. It is diagnosed based on symptoms. If your child has had an ongoing fever and no other likely explanation, your doctor will look for signs of Kawasaki disease.

Your doctor may arrange tests such as:

• blood tests
• urine tests
• echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)

How is Kawasaki disease treated?

Kawasaki disease is treated in hospital with a single dose of a medicine called immunoglobulin. Your child may also need to take a low dose of aspirin for up to 2 months to help reduce the inflammation.

Your child will most likely feel better within 1 to 2 days after immunoglobulin treatment. Sometimes the fever may continue or return, which might mean they need more treatment.

Follow up

Most children recover well with the right treatment, but ongoing care is important to check your child's heart. Your child may need to see a paediatric cardiologist (a children's heart doctor).

If your child had immunoglobulin treatment, you should delay their MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and varicella (chickenpox) vaccinations. Ask your doctor when your child should be vaccinated.

What are the complications of Kawasaki disease?

The most serious complication of Kawasaki disease is widening of the blood vessels that take blood to the heart (known as the coronary arteries). This can cause bulging of the vessel wall, known as an aneurysm, which can lead to heart problems in the future. This happens in about 1 in 4 children if they do not receive treatment.

Your child will need to have another echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) around 6 weeks after they leave the hospital. If the test results are normal, you will be able to stop giving your child aspirin. If there is damage to the heart's blood vessels, your child will need to keep taking aspirin and have ongoing care from a paediatric cardiologist.

Can Kawasaki disease be prevented?

Kawasaki disease cannot be prevented.

You can reduce the risk of heart complications due to Kawasaki disease with early diagnosis and treatment.

Resources and support

For more information about Kawasaki disease and its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment visit:

• Kawasaki Disease Foundation Australia
• Sydney Children's Hospitals Network
• Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Languages other than English

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne has information on pain medicine, fever and rash in many community languages.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Find an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) or Affiliate near you.

Keeping our Mob Healthy has information on fever in children.