Recurrence of Kawasaki disease in an adult patient with cholecystitis

• Published in: Irish medical journal Vol. 100; no. 3; pp. 400 - 401
• Main Authors: McMahon, M A, Wynne, B, Murphy, G M, Kearns, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland 01.03.2007
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Cholecystitis; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Immunoglobulins - therapeutic use; Male; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome - diagnosis; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome - drug therapy; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome - pathology; Risk Factors; Secondary Prevention
• ISSN: 0332-3102

We report recurrence of Kawasaki disease in a 20-year-old man eighteen years after the primary episode. Athough sixty-nine cases have been reported among adults in the literature, this represents only the second case of Kawasaki disease recurring in an adult patient after childhood presentation. Our patient presented with the characteristic mucocutaneous features, fever, arthralgia, epigastric pain and cholecystitis. His presentation was complicated by arthralgias and abnormal liver function tests, which are more common in the adult patient. The diagnosis was made based on clinical findings after the exclusion of other causes of persistent febrile illness. He was successfully treated with high dose aspirin and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Despite a second presentation of Kawasaki disease our patient did not have any demonstrable coronary arterial involvement. Although typically a self-limiting disease, cardiac complications can cause significant morbidity and mortality in those not treated with aspirin and IVIG. This report serves to highlight that late recurrence of Kawasaki disease may develop in adults many decades after the initial presentation. A twenty-year-old male, presented to the Emergency department with a one-week history of general malaise. He complained of sore throat, 5-day history of fever (39 degree celsius), epigastric discomfort, rash, nausea, vomiting, generalised arthralgia and myalgia. He was jaundiced with dark urine and pale stools. He had been commenced on oral penicillin three times a day for possible streptococcal infection after the rash had occurred. Past medical history was notable for a previous episode of Kawasaki disease (KD) at 2 years of age, after which there were no adverse sequelae, a history of asthma and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.