Reye Syndrome

Title	Reye Syndrome
# of Words	980
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.92

Reye Syndrome

Reye Syndrome

Reye Syndrome is an extremely rare, non-contagious disease thought to be
triggered by aspirin use. The actual origin of the disease is unknown. Reye's
Syndrome, occasionally called Reye-Jacobsen's Syndrome, is known to follow any
viral infection. Two of the most common viral infections it precedes is
influenza, “the flu”, and chicken pox. A now-familiar warning on bottles of
aspirin, most notably Tylenol, is not to give Tylenol to a child who is
recovering from the chicken pox, a fever, or any other viral infection. The
link between aspirin and Reye's Syndrome and is not fully understood, but all
reported cases of Reye's Syndrome include a child who has received aspirin
before infection.

Symptoms of Reye's Syndrome may often be mistook for a recurrence of the
flu, or extreme exhaustion. These symptoms include vomiting, confusion, lack of
coordination, distorted balance, irritability, a stupor-like state, and a recent
infection from a viral illness. The symptoms often begin with vomiting and
progress to a stupor and near comatose state. This disease is often found in
young children and infants. Over sixty percent of reported Reye's Syndrome
cases occur in children under the age of sixteen, with the majority of these
cases being in children under six. Although less than five percent of Reye's
Syndrome cases occur in people over the age of sixty, the elderly are often the
most severely affected, due to old age and weakening immune systems. Infants,
while hindered by their young age, can often fight the infections of Reye
Syndrome better, for reasons doctors do not yet fully understand. The severity
of Reye's Syndrome is classified on a scale of 1-5, with one and two being the
onset of symptoms and four and five being the most severe, with the patient
being comatose. With the most severe of Reye's Syndrome cases, internal fluid
builds up in the brain and there is irreversible brain damage or even death.
While the disease is not often fatal, it is essential to treat the disease early.
Reye's Syndrome is not contagious, but the diseases that can lead to, such as
the flu, and chicken pox, are highly communicable.

The first case of Reye's Syndrome was diagnosed in 1963. Looking back
into medical journals, there were many “mystery illnesses” that had the same
symptoms as Reye's Syndrome, but no cases were positively diagnosed as being
Reye Syndrome until this date. The definitive tests for this disease are a
liver biopsy and blood analysis. The liver biopsy can help determine the
presence of fat and lipid formation in the liver. Upon surgical examination,
the liver is slightly enlarged, firm, and bright yellow. This includes some of
the symptoms of jaundice, but without the yellowing of the skin and pupils of
the eye. There is often bile build-up within the liver, and fat formation on the
liver walls is always present. The blood test can detect the presence of
ammonia and acid within the blood. The failing liver will produce these
chemicals. There is also a dramatic decrease in blood sugar levels, which can
mistakenly be diagnosed as hypoglycemia. Therefore, a liver biopsy is essential
in making a complete and correct diagnosis of Reye's Syndrome.

The treatment for Reye's Syndrome had made great advancements in the

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