Reyes
Syndrome Information
Reye's Syndrome is a very serious disease which
affects all organs of the body, but most lethally the liver and the brain.
The number of recognized cases of Reye's Syndrome has decreased in recent
years as a result of greater public awareness. Some people develop Reye's
Syndrome as they are getting over a viral illness, such as the flu. Reye's
Syndrome usually affects individuals from infancy through young adulthood,
however, no age group is immune. Although Reye's Syndrome generally occurs
when someone is recovering from any viral illness, it can develop 3 to 5 days
after the onset of the illness. As previously mentioned, Reye's main targets
are the liver and brain. It is noncontagious and too often is misdiagnosed
as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes, poisoning, drug overdose, or sudden
infant death. Reye's Syndrome appears with greatest frequency during January,
February, and March when influenza is most common. However, cases have been
reported in every month of the year.
Early diagnosis is crucial
An individual should be watched during the 2-3 weeks following
a viral illness for these symptoms, usually occurring in this order:
Unless diagnosed and treated successfully, death is common,
(70%), often within a few days. There is a 90% chance of recovery when the
syndrome is treated in its earliest stages.
Although Reye's Syndrome can develop without taking aspirin,
studies have shown that using aspirin or aspirin-containing medications to
treat the symptoms of viral illnesses increases the chance of developing Reye's
Syndrome. If you or a member of your family have a viral illness,
do not use aspirin or aspirin-containing medications. The National
Reye's Syndrome Foundation, the U.S. Surgeon General, the Food and Drug Administration
and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommend that aspirin and
combination product containing aspirin not be taken by anyone under 19 years
of age during fever-causing illnesses. Aspirin is part of the salicylate family
of medicines. Another name for aspirin is acetylsalicylate; some drug labels
may use the words acetylsalicylate, acetylsalicylic acid, salicylic acid,
salicylate, etc., instead of the word aspirin. Product ingredients may be
reformulated periodically.
Be sure to check labels for the Reye's Syndrome warning and/or
any of the ingredients listed in the above paragraph. When in doubt, ask your
doctor or pharmacist. The following listing shows just a few non-prescription
products containing aspirin or salicylate compounds. This is by no
means a complete list: