Reye's Syndrome Awareness Month

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By Nurse Diane

While I was working in the hospital, many patients were taking children's aspirin for heart conditions.  Every time I dispensed them I would think about the long standing rule of not giving aspirin to babies.  Being a new parent has many challenging responsibilities.  One of the main responsibilities is knowing what is safe and not safe for your child. Things such as not laying your baby on his stomach while sleeping, do not give honey for the first year of life, and no aspirin.  The reason for not giving aspirin to babies is it could cause Reyes Syndrome.  Reyes is a potentially fatal disease that causes damage to many body organs, especially the liver and brain, and it can also cause hypoglycemia which is low blood sugar.

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Reye's syndrome has been associated with taking aspirin during a viral infection.  However, it can also occur without taking aspirin.  It can occur at any age, but it is most common in younger children.  It can cause brain swelling and lead to brain injury or death. Scientists do know that Reye's Syndrome is not contagious and the cause is unknown. According to Reye's syndrome.org, Reye's Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes, drug overdose, poisoning, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or psychiatric illness.

Signs and symptoms of Reye's include:

• Unexpected vomiting following any viral illness such as a flu-like upper respiratory infection or chicken pox (usually no diarrhea)
• Elevated SGOT-SGPT (SAT-ACT) [usually 200 or more units] in the absence of jaundice

Signs of disturbed brain function characterized by:

• Lethargy
• Staring
• Stupor
• Agitated delirium
• Screaming
• Drug reaction-like behavior
• Extensor spasms
• Decerebrate rigidity
• Aspirin poisoning-like symptoms
• Coma

Reye's could also be confused with these diagnoses:

• Meningitis
• Encephalitis
• Diabetes
• Drug Overdose
• Sudden Infant Death
• Toxic Ingestion
• Head Trauma
• Renal or Hepatic Failure
• Poisoning

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Early diagnosis is extremely important in preventing complications and death.  This month is Reye's Syndrome Awareness Month.

For more information, visit this site: http://www.reyessyndrome.org/

Reyes Syndrome Awareness month

By Diane Forrest, RN

What Is Reye's syndrome?

Reye's syndrome is a disease which affects all organs of the body, but most lethally the liver and the brain. Reye's syndrome is a two-phase illness because it is almost always associated with a previous viral infection, such as influenza, cold, or chicken pox. Scientists do know that Reye's syndrome is not contagious and the cause is unknown. Reye's syndrome is often misdiagnosed as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes, drug overdose, poisoning, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or psychiatric illness.

Reye's syndrome tends to appear with greatest frequency during January, February, and March when influenza is most common. Cases are reported in every month of the year. An epidemic of flu or chicken pox is commonly followed by an increase in the number of cases of Reye's syndrome.

When Reye's syndrome develops, it typically occurs when a person is beginning to recover from a viral illness. Abnormal accumulations of fat begin to develop in the liver and other organs of the body, along with a severe increase of pressure in the brain. Unless diagnosed and treated successfully, death is common, often within a few days. A person's life depends upon early diagnosis. Statistics indicate an excellent chance of recovery when Reye's syndrome is diagnosed and treated in its earliest stages. The later the diagnosis and treatment, the more severely reduced are chances for successful recovery and survival.

Stages of Reye's syndrome:

Stage I:

• Persistent or continuous vomiting
• Signs of brain dysfunction:
• Listlessness
• Loss of pep and energy
• Drowsiness

Stage II:

• Personality changes:
• Irritability
• Aggressive behavior
• Disorientation:
• Confusion
• Irrational behavior
• Combative
• Delirium, convulsions, coma

Reye's syndrome should be suspected in a person if this pattern of symptoms appear during, or most commonly, after a viral illness. Not all of the symptoms have to occur, nor do they have to be displayed in this order. Fever is not usually present. Many diseases have symptoms in common. Physicians and medical staff in emergency rooms who have not had experience in treating Reye's syndrome may misdiagnose the disease. The symptoms of Reye's syndrome in infants do not follow a typical pattern. For example, vomiting may be replaced with diarrhea, and they may display irregular breathing.

The treatment of Reye's syndrome varies. Reye's syndrome is an acute, rapidly progressive disease. It should be treated as a medical emergency, and time is of the utmost importance. The chance of recovery is greatly increased when it is treated in its earliest stages. To date there is no cure for the disease. Successful management of the disease depends on early diagnosis. Therapy is primarily directed to protect the brain against irreversible damage by reducing the brain swelling.

For more information go to this site: http://www.reyessyndrome.org/