Are There Any Lasting Complications of Kawasaki Disease?
If Kawasaki disease is not properly treated when symptoms first begin to arise, there may be lasting complications. Without treatment, the most uncomfortable symptoms of KD, such as the swollen glands, rash, fever, and mucous membrane inflammation will last up to three weeks. With adequate care, those painful symptoms may subside in under 24 hours.
Unfortunately, while most children do not have lasting complications, about 25 percent of those affected by KD end up with heart problems at the later stages of the illness. Because the coronary arteries are affected, damage to the heart can sometimes occur. As a result, the heart muscles are weakened, and this may lead to an aneurysm, or ballooning, of the heart’s blood vessels or other surrounding arteries.
Aneurysms are dangerous. Should a blood clot form, it can block blood flow and may cause a heart attack. Worse, the aneurysm may burst.
Other complications include abnormal heart rhythms, heart valve complications, and inflammation of the sac that holds the heart. While heart problems usually disappear within five to six weeks with no lasting damages, the damage may persist if not treated properly.
Although rare, some children have nerve damage that results in hearing loss or deafness. Children who develop KD should have a hearing test performed once they have recovered.
