Rady Children’s Hospital seeing increase in Kawasaki disease cases. Cause remains elusive.
After experiencing a lull during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians at Rady Children’s Hospital have been somewhat surprised at the number of young children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease in the new year.
In January, said Dr. Jane Burns, director of Rady’s Kawasaki Disease clinic, 15 children were diagnosed with KD which, because it causes severe inflammation of blood vessels, is the No. 1 cause of acquired heart disease among U.S. children.
While it’s not much compared to the hundreds and thousands of flu cases that affect children every year, 15 diagnoses in January is significantly more than is usually the case.
“Normally, we see about 10 in January,” Burns said, adding that while complete nationwide numbers are not available, anecdotal reports from colleagues in other large cities across the nation indicate a similar trend.