Kawasaki Disease (KD) is a severe childhood disease that many parents, even some doctors, mistake for an inconsequential viral infection.

While children of all ethnicities can contract Kawasaki disease (KD), a study led by researchers at the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego finds that Filipino children with KD are at a higher risk for inflammation of the blood vessels of the heart than those of other Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.

Coronary artery bypass surgery provides long-term benefits for children whose hearts and blood vessels are damaged by Kawasaki disease, Japanese researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

A genome-wide association study of Kawasaki disease found the genetic variations that can predispose children to the disease, a British researcher said. Michael Levin of the Imperial College London and colleagues said the disease, whose cause is currently unknown, is a rare and severe childhood disorder that occurs mainly in young children. It is the most common cause of childhood acquired heart disease in developed countries, Levin said.

Patients with this Pediatric Disease Depend on Plasma Donation ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan.