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Kawasaki Disease is a childhood illness that causes inflammation in blood vessels, particularly in coronary arteries.  The cause is unknown, but it is thought that acute infections may trigger a genetic factor.  The diagnosis is based on clinical criteria, which have been derived from hospital-based studies.  There has been little research on how the illness presents in general practice, but early diagnosis and treatment are important in preventing the major complication of coronary artery aneurysms.

In an attempt to find out more about this relatively uncommon disease (annual incidence about 8/100,000 children aged less than 5 yrs in the UK), the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) has been searched to identify children with the disease in the past 10 years. We are examining the records to see if the GPRD has enough detail to describe the first symptoms with which a child might present in primary care.

For more information contact Anthony Harnden