kawasaki disease

[crystalr]

Dr. Fett, I had Kawasaki disease as a child,at age 3.My sister also had a milder case at age 2.I had EKG's done almost every year until I was 15,just as a precaution, and nothing was ever found to be wrong.Do you think the Kawasaki disease could have affected me in causing PPCM after the birth of my third child? Just curious because my sister had the disease also and is due in July with her second child.

[JAMESFETT]

The quick answer is: No, I don't think it caused you problems that led to PPCM. The detailed answer is that there is so much unknown about Kawasaki Disease (KD) that it is difficult to be absolutely sure. However, the complications of KD--such as coronary artery disease--if not seen by 4 years following the disease, then there is little likelihood they will be seen. KD, however, can cause an inflammation of the heart muscle (a lymphocytic myocarditis), which may also be seen in PPCM. Perhaps there is some hereditary factor or genetic predisposition that would allow either KD or PPCM to appear if the other conditions that are necessary also occur, such as a viral infection, or some specific change in the immune system. From the genetic standpoint it is important that your sister watch closely for any symptoms of heart failure, and perhaps even have an echocardiogram in the last month of pregnancy.

James