Kawasaki Disease: No Link to Travolta Death

Jan. 5, 2009 -- Jett Travolta's childhood brush with Kawasaki disease is highly unlikely to have caused the seizures that may have led to his death, a Kawasaki expert tells WebMD.

Jett Travolta, the 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, died on Jan. 2. The teen, known to have suffered frequent seizures, struck his head against the bathtub in the hotel where his family was staying, according to media reports.

Kawasaki disease is a mysterious and frightening illness. Might Kawasaki disease have caused Jett Travolta's seizures?

WebMD asked Kawasaki disease expert Nathan Litman, MD, chief of infectious disease and director of pediatrics at New York's Montefiore Medical Center.

"I am unaware of any association of Kawasaki disease with seizures," Litman tells WebMD.

Kawasaki disease can leave a person with an abnormally narrow coronary artery, and this can lead to a future heart attack. Early reports suggest Jett Travolta did not suffer a heart attack; an autopsy is under way.