John Travolta at the 2006 Reno Air Show & Races
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Doctors today performed an autopsy on Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, who died Friday. The results were not immediately released, but family attorney Michael Ossi told TMZ that the teen died after suffering a seizure and hitting his head on a bathtub or toilet seat in the family's home in the Bahamas, where they were spending the holidays.
Preston said six years ago that Jett became very ill at age two and was diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome, a rare inflammatory condition most common in young children. She and Travolta blamed Kawasaki syndrome for what they described as Jett's developmental disabilities, according to CNN.
In 2007, restaurant manager Tim Kenny, the parent of an autistic child, charged on the entertainment news site HollywoodInterrupted.com that Jett was autistic but was not being treated for problems associated with the disorder. The Travolta family had maintained that the teen did not suffer from autism and, after the item appeared, attorney Marty Singer told the New York Post that Travolta and Preston "have [taken] and they continue to take the best possible care of their children. To suggest anything to the contrary is very hurtful to a loving family and also would be false and defamatory."
Ossi told TMZ that Jett had been taking meds to control seizures.
Kawaski syndrome is most common in Japan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is 1.5 times more common in boys, a University of California, San Diego historical review of the disease notes. In the continental U.S., it affects nine to 19 in 100,000 children, 85 percent of them younger than five years old, the CDC says.
We asked Walter Molofsky, chief of pediatric neurology at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, about Kawasaki syndrome and its possible role in Jett Travolta's death. An edited transcript of our conversation follows.
What is Kawasaki syndrome?
It first presented in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Japan, with the first case studies published in 1974. It's an inflammatory, autoimmune disorder (in which the immune system attacks healthy tissue in the body), but we're not quite clear of the cause. It could be a specific reaction to a virus or some sort of infectious agent, but none has been identified. However, it has some features consistent with an infectious cause: It occurs mostly in winter and spring, it's usually among toddlers and rarely in children under three months or in adults.
What are the symptoms?
A high fever above 101 for more than five days, severe redness in the eyes, a rash on the stomach and chest, red, cracked, dry lips, swollen tongue, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes.
How often does Kawasaki syndrome cause serious health problems? Are seizures among them? What about autism and other developmental disabilities?
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25 Comments
Add CommentMy son had Kawasaki's syndrome when he was 6 months old in Nov 1995 in Sisterdale, Texas. I believe it is spread by the Asian Tiger Mosquito. We lived on a farm and were surrounded by many exotic game ranches.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThank you, Scientific American, for providing impartial and clear information about Kawasaki Syndrome.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe tragic death of Jett Travolta has raised many questions -- and much friction between those who say, "leave the parents alone to grieve" and others who are asking, "could something more have been done to prevent this?"
I have no doubt that the Travoltas loved their son dearly, and did everything they thought they could to take care of him. My heart goes out to them for their loss. I wish them no ill will.
That said, I also feel a great deal of compassion for Jett. From the Travoltas own statements, they tried one anti-seizure medication for him, which was effective for a few years, but discontinued after it became less effective and they became worried about hepatoxicity.
It seems they also tried a "Scientology" cure for Jett, the "purification rundown" -- which consists of massive doses of Niacin, vitamin B1, cooking oil, and six hour stints in a sauna.
That's where my questions begin. It is not unusual for an anti-seizure medication to be less effective over time (nor is it unusual to need to discontinue one due to side effects). What concerns me is that they only tried one medication, and not even a front line one at that.
There are nearly a dozen other medications available, and it's SOP to try others in search of a better result. Anti-seizure medications are not a panacea, but I do think it's valid to question why something as absurdly unscientific like Scientology's "treatment" was favored over trying other medically sound courses of action.
It saddens me that so many people are shouting "religious bigotry!" simply because the question is being asked. If pseudo-science contributes to a child's death, I think it's completely moral to stand up for the child and ask the hard questions.
Travolta's Kawasaki Syndrome caused by carpet cleaner theory doesn't seem to be plausible to any of the trained medical professionals who have been interviewed on the subject, including Dr. Molofsky. The mannerisms Jett exhibited are not the symptoms of Kawasaki Syndrome. They are characteristic of autism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt seems obvious that Travolta was blinded to the truth by something and his son suffered for it.
My son was dx with Kawasaki at 15. Atypical age which delayed treatment until the second hospitalization. When his fingers started to peel the doctors were able to justify IV gamma globulin treatement to the insurance company. For several months afterwards he continued to have plunging blood pressure. But now at 24 only needs to make sure he is hydrated.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRe autism dx for Jett. There is no tx for autism. Autistics typically have regular life spans but are more likely to die due to accidents. The "Scientology" cure attempted for Jett's seizures is no different from parents of autistics to try any kind of diet or 'therapy'. In the end, the Travolta's seem to be loving parents, accepting of their son's disability (by whatever name) and certainly the photos depicts Jett as a happy child
My son had the classic symptoms of Kawasaki Syndrome - a 107 degree fever, red conjunctivi of the eyes, and a rash and irritability. Fortunately the doctor in Fredricksburg, Texas had treated a doctor's daughter for it five years previously and after a spinal tap to test for menigitis my son was immediately put on gamma globulin and aspirin (ten a day).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisResidual effects were that during his language acquisition years ( two to five) he had something amiss with processing phonemes, which resulted in tests for dyslexia in grade school and being held back twice in school. He is doing fine now, but will always be a terrible speller, but otherwise is quite normal. He is very allergic to penicillin and broke out in a terrible rash in May 2008 at age 12 yrs 11 months from an antibiotic he was given.
I really believe that Kawasaki's is a virus spread by the Asian Tiger Mosquito. It would be interesting to see if there is a correlation between rainfall rates, zoos, exotic ranches, and pets. We had a Vietnamese pot bellied pig as a pet in 1995 and pet deer, wild antelope, chickens, turkeys, cats and dogs. There are many exotic hunting ranches in the Sisterdale, Texas area. No carpets in our farmhouse. I know that the Asian Tiger Mosquito first came to Houston from Japan in the mid 1980's and it has spread not only to southern and eastern part of the U.S., it went to other countries as well, including Germany.
We live in coastal Carolina. Prime breeding area for the tiger but not many exotic animals here (not counting our Marines). Since Kawasaki was first identified in Japan it does seem reasonable to look into the possiblity of an association.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe live in London and our son was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease when he was 3. My instinct was to take him immediately to hospital when he started presenting the symtoms described above.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy eternal thanks go to the hospital staff at Chelsea and Westminster in London for recognising what my GP had failed to do. Our son Joseph was immediately given the gamma globulin treatment and he has since made a full recovery with no recognised damage to his heart.
My heart goes out to the Travolta family for what can only be a truely devastating situation.
We live in Arkansas, and my son developed Kawasaki Syndrome when he was 2. One year earlier, his cousin had the same thing. Could this be hereditary? My son was placed in Arkansas Children's Hospital for 2 weeks and was taking steriods and 24 baby aspirin a day. His poor little fingers and toes looked like sausages. It was a hard time for all of us. They had asked us about carpet cleaning, but I had not cleaned our carpets. I think it is caused by other reasons too.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissonglinesisterdale, your comments are very interesting, I think you may be on to something but both my granddaughter and my ex husband's daughter had Kawasaki syndrome at the age of 5! He is the common link and I believe it could be hereditary. However, our son, the father of my granddaughter who had it, never did have it. I also think it could be acquired by enviromental issues too, such as a the mosquito. Do you know if this mosquito has been found in Arizona or Illinois? My granddaughter lives in Illinois and my ex's daughter in Arizona.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI do not believe Jett Travolta's death had anything to do with Kawasaki syndrome, I think he was an epileptic whose seizures weren't controlled and that he had a violent seizure that caused him to hit his head, and the two traumas together caused his untimely death.
I like both John and Kelly and I feel for them ( no parent should outlive their children ) but I think they should give up Scientology because it is a crock! . . .
I don't believe in Scientology but if one of my children were sick and the doctors weren't helping, there are no limits to the things I would try.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy heart goes out to them.
I wonder if the mention of autism being caused by vaccinations, though the author does make mention of no known cause, is any indication of the views of either the author of Scientific American. Various sources, including the CDC have shown that autism has no determinable cause, and I feel that even stating that false accusations have been made, without stating that such accusations are false, is bad reporting.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI wonder if the mention of autism being caused by vaccinations is a reflection of the views of the author or Scientific American, though it is mentioned that no cause for autism is known. To mention that such a connection between autism and vaccinations exist, when various sources including the CDC have indicated that this connection is false, and not stating that the connection is false in the article, is bad reporting.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKawasaki Syndrome is a rare condition blamed for Jett Travolta's death, in order not to have to admit to the shocking fact that people rich enough to buy an entire hospital denied their kid a few dimes worth of seizure drugs that would have saved him. Even this publication, as well intended and informative as it is, aids to validate the distraction from the fact that wealthy and famous people let their kid die because a criminal organization posing as a religion ascribes mental conditions to alien intervention and forbids mainstream medical treatment. An article on seizures would have been more appropriate under the circumstances.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisKawasaki Syndrome is a rare condition blamed for Jett Travolta's death, in order not to have to admit to the shocking fact that people rich enough to buy an entire hospital denied their kid a few dimes worth of seizure drugs that would have saved him. Even this publication, as well intended and informative as it is, aids to validate the distraction from the fact that wealthy and famous people let their kid die because a criminal organization posing as a religion ascribes mental conditions to alien intervention and forbids mainstream medical treatment. An article on seizures would have been more appropriate under the circumstances.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI feel bad for Jett and his family. What a tragedy!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSorry guys, but you have been hookwinked somewhat, as has Travolta, to a much more massive extent. Logic dictates that Jett was autistic, rather than suffering from an inflamatory disease. There is a lot of info on the net concerning his symptoms, check it out yourself.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTravolta has a massive incentive for not being forthcoming. As a scientologist, the very last think you would ever admit is that you (or your son) has a disorder involving the brain. If you are a good scientologist, you are simply not supposed to have such a disorder-- that' what becoming "clear" is supposed to get rid of. Rather, you are supposed to be a god on this earth, without physical frailties.
Further, Scientology teaches that neural disorders are nothing but a plot by psychiatrists to harm people. To LRon, psychiatrists are the prime example of evil. The devil does not exist-- psychiatrists and the space alien Xenu exist. This is another reason why as a scientologist, you are not allowed to take seizure medication, or pretty much any sort of medication that has an impact on the central nervous system. Press is completely missing the true story regarding why Jett really died. Even now as it is coming out that he may have expired due to a seizure, they are too cowardly to connect the dots.
NEWS UPDATE ON KAWASAKI DISEASE & TRAVOLTA
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://blogs.fitconnect.com/ryan/2009/1/8/Kawasaki-Disease-not-Cause-of-Travolta-son-Jetts-Death
NEWS UPDATE ON KAWASAKI DISEASE & TRAVOLTA
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://blogs.fitconnect.com/ryan/2009/1/8/Kawasaki-Disease-not-Cause-of-Travolta-son-Jetts-Death
My father was a pathologist and I read books on viruses because I'm interested in that subject, but I am not an expert. However, I just have a strong feeling from what I've read and had doctors tell me and experienced with my son's illness that there is a link between the Asian tiger mosquito and animals and humans. I first learned of the importation of these mosquitoes from reading Laurie Garrett's book "The Coming Plague".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey are called "tiger mosquitoes" because of their white and black stripes, not because they feed exclusively on tigers (and we have a lot of those in Texas, too). They feed indiscrimnately on many animal species, and, unlike native mosquitoes, they bite everything and anything and they stop feeding before they are full, so, they end up biting a lot of different animals, sort of a mosquito with Attention Deficit Disorder.
My son is very allergic to penicillin and antibiotics, was allergic to milk as a child, we had no strong cleaners or pesticides in the house, but, we had many exotic animals around us, as well as cats and dogs.
Pigs, birds and mosquitoes have always seemed to be the link between a lot of illnesses in humans and animals.
I'm going to paste some info now I found on Widipedia.
Distribution
[edit] Climatic Adaptations
Although Aedes albopictus is native to tropical and subtropical regions, they are successfully adapting themselves to cooler regions. In the warm and humid tropical regions, they are active the entire year long, however, in temperate regions they hibernate over winter. Eggs from clans that settle in the temperate zones are more tolerant to the cold than ones from warmer regions.[25][26] They can even tolerate snow and temperatures under freezing. In addition, adult tiger mosquitoes can survive throughout winter in suitable microhabitats.[27]
[edit] Invasive species
Originally, the Asian tiger mosquito comes from Southeast Asia. In 1967 parts of Asia and the island worlds of India and the Pacific Ocean were denoted as the area of circulation for the Asian tiger mosquito.[28] Since then, it has spread to Europe, the Americas, the Caribian, Africa and the Middle East. Aedes albopictus is one of the 100 world's worst invasive species according to the Global Invasive Species Database.[29]
The Aedes albopictus mosquito is not native to Australia and New Zealand.[30][31] In fact, the species was introduced there multiple times, but has yet to establish itself. This is due to the well organized entomological surveillance programs in the harbors and airports of these countries. Nevertheless, on the islands in the Torres Strait between Queensland, Australia and New Guinea Aedes albopictus has become domestic.[32]
In Europe the Asian tiger mosquito first emerged in Albania in 1979, where they were evidently introduced through a shipment of goods from China. In 1990/1991, they were most likely brought to Italy in used tires from Georgia (USA) and since then have spread throughout the entire mainland of Italy as well as parts of Sicily and Sardinia. Since 1999 they have established themselves on the mainland of France, primarily southern France. In 2002, they were also discovered in a vacation town on the island of Corsica, but did not completely establish themselves there until 2005. In Belgium, they were detected for the first time in 2000, 2001 in Montenegro, 2003 in Canton Ticino in southern Switzerland and Greece, 2004 in Spain and Croatia, 2005 in the Netherlands and Slovenia, and 2006 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1] In the fall of 2007, the first tiger mosquito eggs were discovered in Rastatt (Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany).[33] Shortly before, they were found in the northern Alps of Switzerland in Canton Aargau.[34]
Asian tiger mosquitoes were first found in North America in a shipment of used tires at the port of Houston in 1985. Since then they have spread across southern USA, and as far up the East Coast as Maine.[35] This species is an introduced species in Hawaii as well, but has been there since before 1896.
In 1986 the Asian tiger mosquito was discovered in Brazil[36] and in 1988 in Argentina and Mexico[37] as well. Other parts of Latin America where the Asian tiger mosquito was discovered are the Dominican Republic in 1993, Bolivia, Cuba, Honduras, and Guatemala in 1995, El Salvador in 1996, Paraguay in 1999, Panama in 2002, and Uruguay and Nicaragua in 2003.[38]
In South Africa, the species was detected in 1990.[39] In Nigeria it has been domestic since at least 1991.[40] It spread to Cameroon in 1999/2000,[41] to the Bioko Island of Equatorial Guinea in 2001,[42] and to Gabon in 2006.[43]
In the Middle East, the species was detected in the Lebanon in 2003 in Syria in 2005; the first record in Israel was published in 2003.[44]
I live in Coweta, Ok and my son who is 18 mo old was diagnosed a week ago. They came to this diagnosis after calling it the croupe, an allergic reaction to the MMR shot, dehydration and then last but not least an unknown blood infection. He had a temp of 106.5 and they still made us wait in the ER after waiting in a clinic all day (damn HMO's) 12 hrs before being put in a room. After 3 days of taking blood and a IV for the dehydration, 4 doctors at the children's hospital said hey he has this. It was assesed that he had this for approx. 13 days and I was told to prepare for the worst. We had a CT scan because of the high fever for so long and a ultrasound for his heart. It was then discovered that he had a heart mumur. Could this disease have caused that? it was never mentioned at birth. We were released to go home today with the final DX being Pnemonia, siunitis, dehydration and Kawasaki disease. He has to take antibiotics and asprin. They did say no damage detected in the ultasound and no problems in the CT scan and made me feel as if it was over. Is this not true? Will I have to worry for the rest of my life about this? And I know how scandelous the insurance companies are, is this going to be considered a pre-existing issue? Any info is great for a mother who is brand new to this.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI live in Madrid-Spain and a friend�s 2 year old son is in hospital with Kawasaki....we have no notice of the mosquito you talk about and it is not contagious,so....where does it come from?....is anybody studying it???
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thismy niece in the philippines who is turning 3 this sept.was having recurrent high fever,cracked lips,her toes and fingers were inflammed and red eyes,her mother was so worried because that was the first time she saw those signs on her child everytime her daughter gets sick. upon inital evaluation at the hospital, the peditrician immediately suspected kawasaki syndrome and was confirmed with the lab results.she was immediately given gamma globulin treatment,so far, ecg and echocardiogram revealed no damage to the heart.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy son was diagnosed w/kawasaki syndrome in 1983 @10 mos. old.It was wintertime when when I brought my son to the er with temp. of 102.3.(Time it took me to drive him,his temp had gone down to normal and I was accussed of being crazy and they called CPS on me.The 4th time I returned to the hospital I stayed 7 hrs in waiting room w/him and sure enough his temp spiked.Got help for him then-still CPS though.Very devastating to say the least.Thank God I stuck to my guns because he is now a grown healthy married man. I believe he was the first known case in New York.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting. My two year old nephew is at our local children's hospital at this moment. Classic symptoms all the way down the list. The doctors are talking Kawasaki Syndrome as possible diagnosis. My nephew is 100% Japanese-American. If the disease is more prevalent in Japanese/Asian boys, how would this Asian Tiger Mosquito hypothesis work? He's a Japanese toddler living in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisInteresting. My nephew has been at our local children's hospital for three days now, showing classic Kawasaki's symptoms all the way down the list. It's is supposed to be most prevalent in very young Japanese boys. My nephew is a 100% Japanese-American toddler living in Salt Lake City, Utah. This beautiful baby is heartbreakingly sick. An Asian Tiger mosquito? It doesn't make sense. I'm not buying it.
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