Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Reye Syndrome

Definition

Reye syndrome is a serious, potentially fatal condition that strikes children and adolescents who have just recovered from a viral infection, especially when that illness has been treated with aspirin or aspirin-containing products. Reye syndrome causes damage to the liver and brain.

Description

Reye syndrome is a relatively rare disease. Since the late 1980s, when concern regarding aspirin use in children became more widely publicized, fewer than 20 cases of Reye syndrome have been reported annually. This is down from a peak of over 600 cases in 1980. Although researchers have not been able to state this definitively, the decreased incidence of Reye syndrome has been commonly attributed to a greatly decreased use of aspirin-containing products in children.

When Reye syndrome strikes, it can be a devastating illness. The death rate from the disease used to be as high as 50–60%. Better, faster...