Kawasaki Disease Triggered by Epstein-Barr Virus Infection: A Case Report

Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acquired heart disease today. An important and enduring complication of KD is coronary aneurysm whose early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the risk from 25% to 3%. Diagnosis of this disease is mainly clinical, although leukocytosis, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and echocardiography are helpful in diagnosis. The cause of KD remains unknown, but the most common hypothesis is an abnormal immune response that is likely caused by an infectious agent, possibly in a favorable genetic background and leads to vasculitis of the middle arteries especially, coronary arteries of the heart. Numerous infectious agents have been suggested in this regard. Co-infection with KD can also delay diagnosis. In this article, we introduce a 5 years and 7 months child who developed Kawasaki disease within a few days of the onset of Epstein-Barr virus infection.