What is Kawasaki disease? Symptoms to look out for after Mrs Hinch reveals son hospitalised with the condition

WITH Instagram influencer Mrs Hinch's son recently diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, you might be wondering what the the rare illness is. 

The disease mainly affects children under five and is more common in boys and girls - but it's not known what exactly causes it.

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A number of children in the UK contracted it in 2020 during the pandemic, including one eight-month old baby who died.

But medics at in London say links to coronavirus have not yet been proven.

It comes as cleanfluencer Mrs Hinch, whose real name is Sophie Hinchliffe, revealed that her three-year-old son Ronnie spent 10 days in hospital with Kawasaki disease, with doctors bemused about what could be causing the tot's symptoms for the first few days of his stay.

The mum-of-two said that the main symptoms to be aware of are "a persistent high temperature, body rash, swelling and then peeling of the hands and feet, red blistered lips, bloodshot eyes, strawberry tongue, inflamed sore throat and Swollen lymph glands," adding that the rush to hospital had "shaken" the family's world.

What is Kawasaki disease?

The disease is also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.

According to the NHS, the disease primarily affects children under five years of age.

The blood vessels become swollen which can lead to complications in the coronary arteries - the blood vessels which supply blood to the heart.

Kawasaki disease can cause aneurysms, which can lead to a heart attack and heart disease.

In less likely cases, internal bleeding can be caused when the aneurysm bursts.

Each year, an estimated eight in every 100,000 children develop Kawasaki disease, according to figures from the NHS.

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Around 25 per cent of cases go on to experience heart complications.

It can result in fatality in about two to three per cent of cases if not treated.

The cause of Kawasaki disease is currently unknown, but the NHS states that a child may be likely to be affected if they inherit certain genes from their parents.

The disease isn't contagious and can't be spread from person to person.

What are the symptoms of Kawasaki disease?

There a few signs which suggest a person may have Kawasaki disease.

These include:

• swollen glands in the neck
• rashes
• lips which appear to be dry and cracked
• red eyes
• red fingers and toes
• a high temperature that lasts for over 5 days

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Although it mainly affects children, Kawasaki disease can also be found in adults.

If these symptoms are found in children, the advice is to seek urgent medical attention.

How is Kawasaki disease treated?

A child with Kawasaki should be treated in hospital, NHS guidance states.

It's best if treatment begins as soon as possible, as the the sooner treatment starts, the quicker the recovery time and there's less risk of complications developing.

Children can make a full recovery within six to eight weeks if diagnosed early and treated promptly

If you think your child might have the disease, you should see a GP urgently or consult NHS 111.

How is it linked to coronavirus?

NHS doctors received an alert in April 2020, warning of a rise in children ending up in intensive care with a life-threatening inflammatory syndrome, similar to toxic shock syndrome and Kawasaki disease.

As of May that year, up to 100 children in the UK had contracted the "coronavirus-linked disease", with one expert warning it is just the tip of the iceberg.

The youngsters - who were mostly aged between five and 16 - had become seriously unwell weeks after possibly being infected with Covid-19.

Speaking of the phenomenon, Dr Liz Whittaker, a clinical lecturer in paediatric infectious diseases and immunology at Imperial College London, said: "We’ve called it paediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome, which is temporarily associated with SARS-CoV-2."

A rash is one of the symptoms of Kawasaki disease.

"We’re very careful to do that because we can’t definitely say that every single child has Covid at the time they’re unwell," Dr Whittaker added.

"But this new phenomenon is happening in the middle of a pandemic so it seems pretty reasonable to suggest that the two things are related."

Doctors have warned that cases features symptoms including tummy pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and heart inflammation.

Professor Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, said it's "entirely plausible" this new and mysterious condition is linked to Covid-19.