Acute febrile mucocutaneous lymph node (Kawasaki) syndrome. An analysis of 24 cases

Twenty-five cases of Kawasaki syndrome were seen over a 6-year period at Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. The diagnosis of Kawasaki syndrome was established in all cases by use of the criteria developed at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The medical files of these cases were systematically reviewed for epidemiologic, clinical, laboratory, and therapeutic features. The results of this study were comparable to findings from previously reported series. In contrast to previous data, we found several cases in which the febrile illness was associated with a viral infection. Two children developed coronary aneurysms, but there were no deaths, and resolution of the aneurysm occurred in one of the patients. There were no clustering of cases and no unusual epidemiologic findings; none of the patients had a recurrence. Patients with Kawasaki syndrome should be followed closely during both the acute febrile and the convalescent phases. Similar conditions in a child with a fever and a rash need to be excluded.