title: A child with high fever: Kawasaki disease.
abstract: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis and it predominantly affects young children. Fever with rash is a common presentation in children and is mostly due to a viral illness needing symptomatic treatment. However, KD should be considered if the child has a high fever lasting for more than 5 days and has got other cardinal features of KD. It is important to get the diagnosis correct as cardiac complications can only be reduced when intravenous immunoglobulin is administered within a critical time frame (maximum 10 days) from the onset of the illness. Nurses play a vital role in managing and supporting children and their families, both in the community and the hospital setting.
authors.affiliation: Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Yeovil, Somerset, UK.
authors.forename: Siba Prosad
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Paul Anthony
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Heaton
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Routley
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy