Death Certificate: John Travolta's Son Died of a Seizure
Jett Travolta's Funeral Likely to Include Scientology Teachings
Kawasaki syndrome primarily affects children younger than 5, though it can occur in older children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about nine out of 100,000 children have Kawasaki syndrome. The incidence is higher among Japanese and Korean children, though the syndrome can occur within any ethnicity.
Kawasaki syndrome expert Dr. Robert Frenck, a professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said the syndrome, however, is not usually associated with deadly seizures -- especially in children who have already recovered from Kawasaki's, which he said is a temporary condition.
"If there's a major complication, and if someone dies from it, it is a [coronary] aneurysm," he said. "It doesn't happen frequently, but that is what we really worry about. ... That can set the kids up for a heart attack."
The New York Post and other media outlets have in the past published unconfirmed reports that John Travolta's son had autism, though the family has always maintained that he suffered from Kawasaki's. Autism is associated with seizures.
"There is a relationship between autism and seizures; as many as 40 percent of children and young adults with autism may experience seizure and adolescence is a particular time of vulnerability," said Dr. Bryan King, the director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Seattle Children's Hospital's Research Center for Health Services and Behavioral Research.
"There are hormonal changes that could increase the risk of seizure, and certainly there are ongoing brain changes that take place during adolescence, but no one knows why the risk increases in older children."
Travolta's Tragic Loss
Regardless of the cause, Ossi said that the family is now grieving. He added that the incident "is the worst pain any parent can experience, the loss of child."
Speaking for John Travolta, Ossi said, "This is the worst day of his life."
Ossi said that Dr. Mark Smith, the Travolta family doctor, plans to give a statement after the autopsy.
In multiple interviews, John Travolta and Preston have always attributed their son's illness to carpet-cleaning products they once used in the house.
Do you have more information about this topic? If so, please click here to contact the editors of ABC News.
