A 3-year-old boy is brought by his parents to the emergency depament because they are concerned that he has had a high fever for several days. On examination, the boy has conjunctival and oral erythema. He has palpable cervical lymphadenopathy and erythema of his palms and soles. What is a potential life-threatening complication of this disorder?
High-Yield Explanation
The patient presents with mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, or Kawasaki disease. It is often a self-limiting condition, although as many as 20% of patients develop an aneurysm of the coronary vessels. Dissection of the thoracic aoa is associated with hypeension. Rupture of a berry aneurysm can result in a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Aneurysm of the abdominal aoa is associated with atherosclerosis.