Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-hfa110512.php

Public release date: 5-Nov-2012
Contact: Erin Pope
Erin.Pope@NationwideChildrens.org
614-355-0495
Nationwide Children's Hospital

High fever and evidence of a virus? Caution, it still may be Kawasaki disease
Study finds that a Kawasaki disease-mimicking virus is not uncommon among children with Kawasaki disease

Clinicians should take caution when diagnosing a child who has a high fever and whose tests show evidence of adenovirus, and not assume the virus is responsible for Kawasaki-like symptoms. According to a new study from Nationwide Children's Hospital appearing in Clinical Infectious Diseases, adenovirus detection is not uncommon among children with Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease is a rare but serious condition in children that involves inflammation of the blood vessels, specifically the heart vessels that supply the heart tissue or coronary arteries. It is the most common cause of pediatric acquired heart disease in the developed world. Children with Kawasaki disease or illness caused by adenoviruses often first present with a high and persistent fever. Early diagnosis for Kawasaki disease before the tenth day of fever is essential to prevent sequelae in the heart...

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For more information on Dr. Preeti Jaggi, visit http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/preeti-jaggi

For more information on Infectious Diseases at Nationwide Children's, visit http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/infectious-diseases

For more information on Kawasaki Disease, visit http://healthlibrary.nationwidechild...edia/90,P01801