Mrs Hinch's son diagnosed with rare disease — here's what we know about Kawasaki disease

Sophie Hinchliffe — better known as Mrs Hinch — updated her followers on her son's diagnosis after he was admitted to hospital and underwent numerous tests

Mrs Hinch described the ordeal as a "real-life nightmare".

Popular cleaning influencer Mrs Hinch has revealed that her son Ronnie has been diagnosed with a rare disease after what the mother-of-two described as “a real-life nightmare”.

The three-year-old experienced a temperature spike while at home ten days ago and after multiple tests and time in hospital, the family finally found out what was wrong.

Ronnie was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which Sophie Hinchliffe admitted was something she had never heard of before.

Updating her 4.7M Instagram followers on her son’s condition, she said: “We have spent the past 10 days living what’s felt like a real-life nightmare. But I just wanted to thank you all for so many kind messages and update you all. 

“Ron’s temp spiked 40 at home, I phoned an ambulance. Ron was admitted and IV antibiotics started but NOTHING was working, in fact Ronnie deteriorated. The incredible doctors and nurses started every blood test and scan you can imagine. We paced rooms and corridors for days just waiting for an answer, a result … anything!

“Seeing Ron this way kicked me with a fear and desperation I’ve never felt in my whole life.”

She added that the past week has shaken the whole family and she has “never felt a fear like it”.

Here’s what we know about Kawasaki disease.

Mrs Hinch with her sons Lennie and Ronnie. Picture: @mrshinchhome/Instagram

What is it?

As Mrs Hinch said herself, “Kawasaki disease is a rare, non-contagious disease”. It mainly affects children under the age of five.

It is also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.

What does it do?

Kawasaki disease causes the blood vessels to become inflamed or swollen. This can lead to issues in the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart.

What are the symptoms?

A child with the disease will typically have a high temperature for five days or in some cases, even longer. Along with the high temperature, they may have one or more symptoms including a rash, ‘strawberry tongue’, swollen glands at their neck, red cracked lips, swollen red hands and feet, red eyes and red inside their mouth or at the back of their throat.

How rare is it?

It is estimated that around eight in every 100,000 children in the UK develop Kawasaki disease every year. According to research carried out in the UK, from 1998 to 2003, 72% of those with the disease were under the age of five. It is also said to be more common in boys than in girls.

How is it treated?

It is always treated in hospital with Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), which is a solution of antibodies, and aspirin.

With the right treatment, the symptoms calm down after a few weeks but they may persist for longer for some children. The sooner it is treated, the better as there's less risk of complications developing.

Without treatment, Kawasaki disease can lead to heart complications. This can happen in around one in four children who are diagnosed with the disease.

What causes it?

According to the NHS, is not known what causes Kawasaki disease. However, it is believed that a child may be genetically predisposed to it, and more likely to develop it if they inherit certain genes from their parents.

Mrs Hinch encouraged any other parents or carers of children with Kawasaki disease to contact her.

“I would be so so grateful to hear from you and your story,” she said. “I will do all that I can to help raise awareness of this disease that to this day still has no explained cause.”