Childen's Hospital Boston
International Visitorsdotted lineRequest Appointmentdotted lineDirections
 advanced search
About Us Find a Specialist Locations Careers Press Room Giving To
Clinical Services For Patients & Families For Health Professionals Research
My Child Has
or find by letter:  A-F  G-L  M-R  S-Z

Kawasaki Disease Program
Kawasaki Disease Program
About Kawasaki Disease
Who Kawasaki Disease Affects
Symptoms
Treatment
Conditions and Treatments
Second Opinions
Research
Meet the Team
Contact Us
Request an Appointment
Find Us
Email this page
Printer Friendly
Return to
Cardiovascular Program
X
Home Clinical Services Kawasaki Disease Program Who Kawasaki Disease Affects
Flower Who Kawasaki Disease Affects
Approximately 75 percent of children with Kawasaki disease are under the age of 5. Most are in the toddler age group, although it can also occur in older children. Boys are about 1.5 times as likely to get Kawasaki disease as girls.

The disease was first described in Japan in 1967, and is more common in children of Japanese ancestry. Incidence rates are nearly 10 times as high for Japanese children younger than 5 as they are for the same age group of Caucasian children, with intermediate incidence rates in children from Hispanic and African American backgrounds.

About 4,000 cases occur in the United States each year.

What causes Kawasaki disease?
The cause of Kawasaki disease is unknown, despite decades of research. It is not contagious (spread from person to person). Some studies suggest that Kawasaki disease may be caused by a single organism, such as a virus. Other reports have suggested that bacterial toxins, such as those produced by staph aureus or streptococcus, may be involved. It is also possible that Kawasaki disease is caused by a variety of organisms that produce an inflammatory reaction in children who are genetically susceptible. This would explain many puzzling features of the disease, including its tendency to occur more frequently in the winter and early spring months, and to show up in waves within communities. The fact that older individuals are far less likely to get Kawasaki disease suggests that they may have been exposed to the infection and become immune at some point in childhood. Some studies have found associations between the occurrence of Kawasaki disease and recent exposure to carpet cleaning or residence near a body of stagnant water; however, cause and effect have not been established. Kawasaki disease is reported more frequently among children from higher socioeconomic groups.

Researchers continue to explore the genetic factors that put some children at higher risk. The following observations suggest that genetic factors increase susceptibility to Kawasaki disease:

  • Individuals of Japanese origin, no matter where in the world they live, are more likely to acquire Kawasaki disease.
  • Brothers and sisters of children with Kawasaki disease are more likely than other neighborhood children to develop the illness at a later time.
  • Kawasaki disease has been reported in the children of parents who themselves had been affected in childhood.
X
Children's Hospital Boston is the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Accessibility Give Now en Español
Children's Hospital Boston300 Longwood AvenueBoston, MA 02115(617) 355-6000 © 2005-2007 All rights reserved