OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is Kawasaki disease. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how Kawasaki disease will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 9 month old boy is brought to the clinic because he has had temperatures up to 104°F. He has been fussy, had been eating less, and his mother explains that the fever began 5 days ago. The child does not have any close sick contacts. His temperature is currently 103.5°F. A physical exam reveals the following findings: cracked fissured lips, redness of oral mucousa, redness of conjunctiva, enlarged cervical lymph node. There is also a maculopapular rash over the trunk and dorsal edema of the hands. The patient’s hematocrit is 32%, leukocyte count is 15,000/mm³, and platelet count is 560,000/mm³. What is the likely cause of the fever in this patient?
Explanation: fever for 5 days + red conjunctiva + rash + swollen lymph node + red cracked lips + hand edema = Kawasaki disease (meets all the diagnostic criteria)
Page Updated: 11.08.2016