SAN DIEGO -- Elizabeth Rodriguez was 15 years old when she was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, a disease discovered by Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967.

"I felt like I had been run over by a car and left," said Elizabeth.

Nearly 4,200 cases of Kawasaki disease are diagnosed each year, with most of the cases being children under five years of age. Because there is no diagnostic test, many cases are missed, medical experts said.

"She was treated for dehydration and flu. She was not throwing up, and no one knew what was going on," said Elizabeth's mother, Comischell Rodriguez, who went to the emergency room with Elizabeth three different times.

Several years ago, 10News profiled Luke, who suffers from the disease.

"They said he had a cold and to go home," said

Without treatment within the first 10 days, the disease can go from bad to worse. Symptoms include high fever, rash, swollen hands, feet and lips. If left untreated or misdiagnosed, an aneurysm can form on the vessels that feed the heart.

"What we're seeing is young adults coming into the emergency room with an acute heart attack, and they are the legacy of missed Kawasaki disease," said Jane Burns, the leading authority in San Diego on the disease.

"Without a diagnostic test we are always going to miss patients; that is guaranteed," said Burns.

The aim of a Kawasaki disease symposium and fundraiser this weekend is to see that does not happen.

Kawasaki and Burns will host a symposium free of charge to the public this Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Price Center Theater on the University of California, San Diego campus.