Cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch has revealed her three-year-old son Ronnie has spent time in hospital after he was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease.
Sophie Hinchliffe told her fans on Instagram that Ron's symptoms started with a staggeringly high temperature and he was rushed to hospital. He was immediately given IV antibiotics but nothing was working.
She explained that doctors did every blood test and scan there was before eventually concluding he was fighting Kawasaki disease. Little Ron spent 10 days in hospital before he was finally allowed home.
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Sharing the news on her Instagram feed, Mrs Hinch said: "Ron was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, something I had never heard of before. Kawasaki disease is a rare, non contagious disease that only affects around eight in every 100,000 children under the age of five in the UK. This disease causes swelling of the blood vessels throughout the body. It can also affect the blood vessels supplying the beheart muscle when not treated early enough."
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What is Kawasaki disease?
According to the NHS, Kawasaki disease is a condition that mainly affects children under the age of five. It is also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.
Kawasaki disease can't be prevented. Children can make a full recovery within 6 to 8 weeks if it's diagnosed and treated promptly, but complications can develop.
It's not clear exactly what causes Kawasaki disease. It may be due to a combination of factors. It is possible it is caused by an infection or virus, but it is not contagious.
What are the signs and symptoms of Kawasaki disease?
The NHS says that a child with Kawasaki disease has a high temperature that lasts for five days or longer, and possibly one or more of the following symptoms:
- a rash
- swollen glands in the neck
- dry, red cracked lips
- a swollen, bumpy, red tongue (“strawberry tongue”)
- red inside the mouth and at the back of the throat
- swollen and red hands and feet
- red eyes
Kawasaki disease is always treated in hospital. The sooner the treatment starts the quicker the recovery time and the less chance of developing complications.
Some children who have Kawasaki disease develop complications in their heart as the condition causes the blood vessels to become inflamed and swollen. Because of this, Kawasaki disease is one of the main causes of acquired heart disease in children under 5 in the UK. Acquired heart disease develops after birth.
