title: Kawasaki disease with facial nerve paralysis.
abstract: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a multisystem disorder with varying clinical expression. We describe an instance of facial nerve paralysis in a patient with KD. A 5-month-old boy developed fever, irritability, and diarrhea, treated 8 days later with cefaclor and ibuprofen. Three days later a confluent, erythematous and papular rash appeared, his lips were reddened and swollen, and his white blood count and platelet count were 20,900/mm(3) and 558,000/mm(3), respectively. He was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of KD, and an echocardiogram showed a right coronary aneurysm. The patient then developed an acute, right-sided, facial nerve peripheral paralysis that resolved over the next 6 weeks. He was treated with intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) 2 g/kg and aspirin 100 mg/kg/day with improvement of signs and symptoms. This report documents facial nerve paralysis as an uncommon complication of KD and points out that it may be a marker of increased risk of cardiovascular disease in this disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dermatology, Ramos Mejia Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina. maggie@advancedsl.com.ar
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larralde
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santos-Muñoz
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rutiman
mesh_terms: D003323:Coronary Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004452:Echocardiography; D005158:Facial Paralysis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous