EXPLAINER: What is Kawasaki disease? Is it dangerous?
Nikki Gil revealed her daughter Maddie's battle with Kawasaki disease, which is a rare condition that mainly affects children under five years old.
For the former VJ, seeing their little girl "in pain, hooked to IVs, enduring tests and meds" was the "hardest thing" that she and her husband, BJ Albert, have ever been through as parents.
Nikki said she didn't know about the disease until her child was diagnosed with it.
She also shared that Maddie is now home from the hospital. "While recovery continues, our hearts are filled with gratitude," she wrote in an Instagram post.
What is Kawasaki disease?
According to board-certified pediatrician Angel Atienza-Capistrano, Kawasaki disease is an illness "that makes the blood vessels in the body swell and become inflamed."
"It is typically a self-limited condition, with fever and manifestations of acute inflammation lasting for an average of 12 days with supportive management," she told PhilSTAR L!fe, adding that the condition is not contagious.
The exact cause of Kawasaki disease is still unknown to this day.
Atienza-Capistrano said that the CRASH and BURN mnemonic is used in spotting the signs and symptoms of it, which include conjunctivitis (red eyes without drainage), rash (non-specific), adenopathy (enlarged lymph node on one side of the neck), strawberry tongue (red tongue with small "seeds") or other changes like lip redness and cracking, and swelling of the hands and feet.
Those with the disease may also have fever for five days and exhibit four out of five of the aforementioned symptoms.
How dangerous is it?
The mainstay initial treatment for Kawasaki disease includes intravenous gamma globulin, which is an infusion through your child’s IV and aspirin. "These medicines help reduce the swelling and inflammation in the blood vessels. They are most effective if given within the first 10 days of the illness, decreasing the risk of developing coronary changes," she explained to L!fe.
Per the pedia doctor, who holds clinic at Happy Family Diagnostics & Multispecialty Clinic in Marikina, most patients are able to completely recover from it. But its most common complication is the development of coronary artery aneurysms, which "can lead to significant morbidity and mortality."
Unfortunately, Kawasaki syndrome cannot be prevented, Atienza-Capistrano said.
"But what we can do to avoid missed diagnosis is to consider Kawasaki disease in infants below six months old with prolonged fever and irritability and unresponsive to antibiotic therapy," she added.
