A very special episode of Grey's Anatomy is airing tonight on ABC at 9/8 Central. The episode is entitled "Can't Fight This Feeling" and features actress Sarah Chalke as a mother fighting for a proper diagnosis of her son's illness. Ultimately, it's determined that he has Kawasaki Disease. Unfortunately, this instance of mis-diagnosis for Kawasaki Disease, or KD as it's called, is far more common than we realize.
I was diagnosed with KD at the age of 15 in 1993. At that time, all that was known about KD was that it had been around since the 1960's, when it was discovered by Dr. Kawasaki, in Japan. Doctors knew it affected the red blood cells, so children often presented with red, bloodshot eyes, red tongues with protruding tastebuds (called "Strawberry Tongue"), peeling skin on their hands and feet, swollen glands and a red, lacey rash all over their bodies accompanied by fever for 5 days or more. What they also knew was that it primarily affected boys under the age of 5. So when I presented at the age of 15, I was tested for everything else and it was never suspected that I had KD until I'd been sick for 10 days. When I was finally treated with gamma globulin, I was almost immediately better. Despite the treatment, I still developed coronary aneurysms on both my left and right coronary arteries.
With more awareness for this illness, we can help prevent delayed diagnosis, and hopefully prevent heart damage from occurring. Additionally, researchers are working to develop a diagnostic test and discovering genetic markers.
So please, watch the show tonight. Tell your friends, post it on Facebook, and tell everyone you know about the show and tell them to tell their friends.
The Kawasaki Disease Foundation is hosting a virtual viewing party on Facebook and Twitter. You can follow them on Twitter at @TheKDF and find them on Facebook by searching for The Kawasaki Disease Foundation. If you post something on either Twitter or the Facebook page, please hashtag it with #KDGA or #KawasakiDisease
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