Kawasaki disease

noun Ka·wa·sa·ki disease \ˌkä-wə-ˈsä-kē-\

Definition of KAWASAKI DISEASE

: an acute illness of unknown cause that chiefly affects infants and children and is characterized especially by fever, rash, conjunctivitis, inflammation of lips and tongue, and swollen lymph nodes of the neck —called also Kawasaki syndrome

Origin of KAWASAKI DISEASE

Tomisaku Kawasaki b1925 Japanese pediatrician

First Known Use: 1977

Medical Dictionary

Kawasaki disease

noun Ka·wa·sa·ki disease \ˌkä-wə-ˈsä-kē-\

Medical Definition of KAWASAKI DISEASE

: an acute febrile disease of unknown cause affecting especially infants and children that is characterized by a reddish macular rash especially on the trunk, conjunctivitis, inflammation of mucous membranes (as of the tongue), erythema of the palms and soles followed by desquamation, edema of the hands and feet, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck—called also mucocutaneous lymph node disease, mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome

Biographical Note for KAWASAKI DISEASE

Ka·wa·sa·ki \kä-wä-sä-kē\ Tomisaku (flourished 1961), Japanese pediatrician. Kawasaki first discovered mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome in Japanese children in 1961. In 1967 he published his findings based upon 50 case studies, all of which involved Japanese children five years old and younger. Since that original report, however, Kawasaki disease has been observed in other countries and in patients who are considerably older.