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Kawasaki Disease is an uncommon and potentially life threatening condition that affects children from the very young to teenagers. The disease was first discovered 40 years ago by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki in Japan, and while it does seem to be more common in Asian children, more than 3,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every year.

This inflammatory condition, still of unknown origin, can take its toll on the vessels that supply blood to the heart. The best hope for recovery and long-term good health is to be diagnosed and treated within a few days - typically at a center where a pediatric cardiologist can be part of the team.

Because the first sign of KD is usually a prolonged high fever, physicians and parents may first think of many other ailments. However, it is critically important the signs of KD not be overlooked and that treatment begin without delay. Also, it is important children have long-term follow-up monitoring and it is also desirable for patients to be in a community with leading researchers so that there can be a deeper understanding of KD over time and better treatments developed.

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Program Details

	MICHAEL PORTMAN, MD is a pediatric cardiologist and Director of Pediatric Cardiovascular Research at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. He has a special interest in treating patients with KD and researching better diagnostic approaches and treatments.
	STANFORD T. SHULMAN, MD is Head, Infectious Disease and Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and chief of the infectious diseases division at Children's Memorial Hospital, both in Chicago. He is renowned for his work in KD for over 40 years and is an advisor to the American Heart Association on KD.
	KATRYN (KATE) DAVILA was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease in 1993, at the age of 15. Being that she was older than the average KD patient, she was not diagnosed until day 12, treated with gamma-globulin treatment and left with giant coronary aneurysms. Despite this setback, she was still active in school sports (cheerleading and track), and music. In 1999, she suffered two minor non-damaging heart attacks, but persevered to live as "normal" a life as possible. She attended the University of Maine, where she majored in Communications and graduated in 2004. While in college, she met her husband, whom she married in December 2004. They currently live in the Seattle area with their two cats, where Kate works in Communications/Public Relations, and her husband works for Boeing. They plan on starting a family in 2008. Fortunately, Kate has had no heart problems other than chest pains since 1999.

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This Patient Power Special Edition initiative is sponsored through an educational grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb