A one-and-half-year old boy of Thanthonrimalai has recovered from Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that mainly affects young children, after treatment at Karur Government Medical College Hospital.
When P. Harish of Gandhi Nagar in Thanthonrimalai was admitted to the hospital on June 3, he had high fever for six days with swollen and cracked lips, peeled skin, redness in the eyes, and legs and hands swollen. His platelet count had risen to abnormal level and his liver too was swollen abnormally. The boy was initially tested for COVID-19 virus but it turned out to be negative.
He was subsequently diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, a condition that causes inflammation in blood vessels. The disease was first described in Japan by Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, and the first cases outside of Japan were reported in Hawaii in 1976. Clinical signs include fever, rash, swelling of the hands and feet, irritation and redness of the whites of the eyes, swollen lymph glands in the neck, and irritation and inflammation of the mouth, lips, and throat.
After analysing the condition of the patient, E. Theranirajan, Dean, KGMCH, formed a team of doctors led by Kanimozhi, Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics. The child was administered intravenous immunoglobulin. After the standard treatment protocol, Harish recovered.
Dr. Theranirajan said the inflammation could damage the boy’s coronary arteries if not proper treated at the initial stage itself. The coordinated treatment had yielded good results. The clinical results revealed that his heart was functioning well.
The Chief Minister’s Medical Insurance Scheme enabled the boy to get a fresh lease of life. Harish would be monitored for six months. If the medicine protocol was followed properly for two years, he could lead a normal life, he added.