Kawasaki disease carries risk of which major complication if untreated?

• A. Coronary artery aneurysms
• B. Pulmonary embolism
• C. Renal failure
• D. Stroke

Answer: (A)

Kawasaki disease inflames the walls of medium-sized arteries, especially the coronary arteries. If this inflammation goes untreated, it commonly leads to the development of coronary artery aneurysms. These aneurysms can then thrombose or become stenotic as they heal, cutting off blood flow to the heart muscle and causing myocardial ischemia or infarction. This makes coronary artery aneurysms the major complication associated with Kawasaki disease when not treated, which is why prompt therapy with IVIG and high-dose aspirin is so important to reduce this risk. Other issues like pulmonary embolism or renal failure are not the typical primary concerns in Kawasaki, and stroke, while possible in some cases, is not the hallmark complication like coronary aneurysms are.