Which of the following conditions is a potential serious complication of Kawasaki disease?

NORCERT 8 Mains-2025

Child Health Nursing (Pediatrics)

Easy

Appeared in: NORCERT 8 Mains-2025

Explanation

Kawasaki disease is a systemic vasculitis that has a strong predilection for the coronary arteries.
Inflammation weakens the arterial wall, leading to dilation and the formation of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA).
CAA is the most serious complication, as it can lead to thrombosis, myocardial infarction, and sudden death.
According to clinical evidence, up to 25% of untreated children develop CAA, making it the leading cause of morbidity and mortality from this disease.

Option A: Mitral valve stenosis is a narrowing of the mitral valve, which is not a characteristic complication of Kawasaki disease.
Option C: While dehydration can occur due to the high fever and poor oral intake associated with the acute phase of Kawasaki disease, it is a general symptom and not a specific, long-term pathological complication of the disease's vasculitic process.
Option D: Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease involving the breakdown of cartilage. Kawasaki disease causes a temporary, inflammatory arthritis (arthralgia/arthritis) during the acute/subacute phase, which resolves and does not lead to chronic degeneration.

Visual 1: Diagram - An illustration comparing a normal coronary artery to one with a saccular aneurysm, highlighting the weakened, bulging wall characteristic of Kawasaki disease.
Visual 2: Echocardiogram Image - A sample echocardiogram showing a dilated coronary artery (aneurysm) to help visualize how the condition is diagnosed and monitored.
Visual 3: Infographic - A chart showing the clinical phases of Kawasaki disease (acute, subacute, convalescent) and the timing of key signs, symptoms, and the development of coronary artery aneurysms.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Complications of Kawasaki Disease helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
The primary goal of nursing care in Kawasaki disease is the early administration of IVIG and aspirin to prevent the life-threatening complication of coronary artery aneurysms.
Nurses must conduct thorough cardiovascular assessments, monitoring for tachycardia disproportionate to fever, signs of heart failure, and changes on the cardiac monitor.
Long-term follow-up is crucial. Nurses play a key role in educating families about the need for ongoing cardiology appointments, activity restrictions if aneurysms are present, and recognizing signs of a heart attack.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core concept of the question: it's asking for a 'serious complication' of a specific disease, 'Kawasaki disease'.
Recall the pathophysiology of Kawasaki disease. It is a vasculitis, meaning inflammation of blood vessels.
Consider which organ system is most famously and severely affected by this vasculitis. For Kawasaki, this is the cardiovascular system, specifically the coronary arteries.
Evaluate the options based on this core pathophysiology. 'Coronary artery aneurysms' is a direct result of inflammation weakening blood vessel walls.
Eliminate the other options. Mitral stenosis is linked to rheumatic fever. Dehydration is a non-specific symptom of fever. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative, not inflammatory, process in this context.
Confirm that aneurysm formation is the most severe and specific risk listed, making it the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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