Davaalkham D,1* Baigalmaa D,2 Nakamura Y 3

Kawasaki disease is an acute, self-limited vasculitis of unknown etiology affecting predominantly infants and toddlers. Approximately 85% of patients with Kawasaki disease are younger than 5 years old; patients aged less than 3 months or more than 5 years are encountered rarely and are at increased risk for coronary artery aneurysm formation. First described in Japan in l967 by Tomisaku Kawasaki, the disease is now known to occur in both endemic and community-wide epidemic forms in the Americas, Europe, and Asia in children of all races. Kawasaki disease is now the commonest cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. It is characterized by fever, bilateral nonexudative conjunctivitis, erythema of the lips and oral mucosa, changes in the extremities, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy. The most important complication, coronary arteritis leading to formation of aneurysms, occurs in 20-30% of untreated patients. The increasing frequency of the disease as well as the deficiency of specific diagnostic means renders its diagnosis and treatment an area of intense investigation. Although an infectious agent is suspected, the cause remains unknown. The purpose of this review is to summarize all the known features of Kawasaki disease and also give an insight to the latest findings.