Behavioral difficulties secondary to Kawasaki disease

Abstract EN

Kawasaki disease is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology with a variable clinical presentation.

Although cardiac complications are commonly reported and are a major source of concern, neuropsychiatric complications are rare but could have a significant impact on the future social and academic functioning of the affected children.

In this article, we report the case of a previously healthy six-year-old Kuwaiti boy who developed behavioral disturbances that were not present prior to the onset of Kawasaki disease.

These behavioral disturbances led to social impairment and could potentially affect his academic performance in the future.

There was no associated cognitive deficit in this case, as demonstrated by psychological testing using the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.

From this case we can conclude that children with Kawasaki disease are at risk for behavioral disturbances that could be secondary to direct or indirect central nervous system involvement.

These disturbances can manifest after the acute presentation and may also persist, impairing social and academic functioning.

Therefore, children with Kawasaki disease should be screened for behavioral disturbances during follow-up visits.

Screening should be carried out to identify these disturbances early in order to refer affected children appropriately for interventions to maximize their potential