Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome

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Abstract
In 1967, Kawasaki1described 50 cases of an unusual illness of infants and children. It was characterized by prolonged fever, skin rash, and lymphadenopathy, and he termed this illness "mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome" (MLNS). Since that time, a virtual epidemic of this illness has occurred in Japan, with more than 12,000 cases reported during the last decade. In 1974, reports of this illness appeared in the English language literature, and patients with MLNS have subsequently been described in most other parts of the world.2-7 The etiology of MLNS remains obscure.8-9The disorder is not familial and there is no evident relationship to other illnesses or factors in the patient's history. Although an infectious cause has been hypothesized (viral, rickettsial, etc), the lack of familial or community clustering is against this etiology. Heavy-metal poisoning or other environmental toxins have also been suggested as causes, but they are also