Prolonged high fever (lasting longer than five days and generally higher than 101.3 F).Signs and symptoms that help make the diagnosis include: A prolonged fever (i.e., more than five days and generally higher than 101.3 F) is often the first symptom that alerts a doctor to consider Kawasaki disease. The doctor makes the diagnosis based on your child’s signs and symptoms. There is no one specific test to diagnose Kawasaki disease. It is more commonly seen in the winter and spring months. The disease occurs more often among boys. Kawasaki disease, however, can affect older children as well. Kawasaki disease more commonly affects children younger than 5 years old, with the majority of children being less than 2 years old. Without medical evaluation and treatment however, serious complications may develop and not be initially recognized. The symptoms of Kawasaki disease often go away on their own, and the child recovers. It may occur in children who have a genetic predisposition to the disease. Because it causes a high fever and swelling of the lymph nodes, Kawasaki disease is thought to be related to an infection. The exact cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown. Kawasaki disease is an illness that makes the blood vessels in the body swell and become inflamed.
