Kawasaki disease recognition and treatment.

Question If a child presents to my office with several days of fever and a few features of Kawasaki disease (KD) but does not meet the diagnostic criteria, could they still have KD and is treatment needed?Answer Presentations of KD have a range of clinical signs and symptoms. With the lack of a criterion standard test, the diagnosis of KD relies on syndrome recognition and a high index of suspicion in cases where KD does not present classically. It is still possible to have KD even if not all of the criteria are met, and these children are referred to as having incomplete forms of KD. The diagnosis of incomplete KD is usually made in a child or infant who presents with a history of prolonged fever, a few clinical criteria for KD, and other supportive features such as positive laboratory or echocardiographic findings. It is important to recognize children with incomplete forms of KD to avoid poor outcomes such as coronary artery aneurysms. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.