Treatment
Once the medical professional has determined the child has Kawasaki disease, treatment will begin immediately. The goal of the initial treatment is to reduce the high fever and inflammation. This will also help preventing long-lasting heart damage.
Treatments include:
• Aspirin. Used to treat inflammation, joint pain, and to reduce fever. While aspirin is typically not recommended for children because of the chance of developing Reye’s syndrome, Kawasaki disease is considered an exception to the rule. Aspirin should only be given when supervised by a doctor or other healthcare professional.
• Gamma globulin. As an immune protein, gamma globulin is fed into the veins intravenously. It is used to lower chance the coronary artery damage.
After the initial treatment, the fever should lower. Your child may need to continue taking aspirin for six weeks or longer, depending on the condition of their heart. The gamma globulin will also help the child improve much faster. Without gamma globulin, KD will last about 12 days.
Any heart problems that develop will continue to be monitored. The doctor will most likely schedule multiple follow-up visits to track the progress.
