Kawasaki Disease is not linked to seizures disorder

Kawasaki Disease almost killed Jett Travolta when he was a toddler, but experts said it was unlikely the rare childhood disorder led to his reported seizure Friday.

"Seizures are not part of Kawasaki disease," said Dr. Stanford Shulman, a specialist in the disease at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

"If a teenager had a seizure and died, that would not commonly be due to Kawasaki disease."
The sickness, more common in young boys, leads to fever, rash, red eyes and swollen hands and feet.

Its cause is controversial. Some, like Jett's actress mom, Kelly Preston, believe environmental toxins trigger the symptoms. Others blame a virus.

If left untreated, Kawasaki can cause blood clots and heart attacks, even later in life.

About 4,000 cases of Kawasaki disease are diagnosed each year in the U.S.A., virtually all in young children, Shulman said.

"Nowadays, no more than 2% or 3% of cases develop significant coronary artery abnormalities, so deaths are rare, but they do occur," he said.

Some research has pointed to seizures in kids suffering from acute Kawasaki disease.

A deathly ill Jett was rushed to the hospital when he was 2 and diagnosed with the disease, his parents have said. His mother said he recovered with the help of a detoxification program but still had "allergies."

Police in the Bahamas Friday said they were told Jett had a history of seizures.