Reye's syndrome in children dangerous?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Minh Tuan - Pediatrician - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital
Aspirin is a fairly common drug used in the community, but should be used with caution because the drug also has very dangerous side effects. One of them is a drug that can cause Reye's syndrome in children. Reye's syndrome often appears in children, although rare but extremely dangerous.

1. What is Reye's syndrome?

Reye's syndrome is a rare syndrome that can cause brain edema and rapidly progressive liver failure. It can occur at any age but is most common in children.
Reye's syndrome (HCR) is a disease named after Australian pathologist Douglas Reye. Reye's syndrome is a disease that causes acute brain damage and visceral fat degeneration (especially liver) that occurs after an acute viral infection.
When infected, observing under the microscope will see solid viscera such as pancreas, heart, kidney, spleen, especially fatty infiltrated liver. Nonspecific brain injury, with cerebral edema, white matter edema, lateral ventricular compression. Microscopically, glial edema is present but not encephalitis.
Symptoms of Reye's syndrome often occur in children who have recently had a viral infection such as the flu or chickenpox. Taking aspirin to treat these conditions can significantly increase your risk of Reye's syndrome as a side effect of the medication.
Both chickenpox and the flu can cause headaches. Therefore, extreme caution should be exercised not to use aspirin to treat headaches in children.

2. What are the symptoms of Reye's syndrome?

When you have Reye's syndrome, symptoms usually develop quite quickly within a few hours.
The initial symptoms of the disease include:
Sudden nausea, vomiting. Lack of energy, tired children. Unusual behavior such as irritability, personality changes, stuttering. Or sleepy. When the liver and brain are severely damaged, the following symptoms appear: Enlarged liver. Electrolyte disturbances, low blood pressure. Children cannot recognize relatives and friends, cannot answer simple questions. Breathe fast and forcefully. There are manifestations of violent behavior. Convulsions. Comatose.

3. Subjects at risk of Reye's syndrome

Risk factors for Reye's syndrome are:
Use of aspirin to treat viral infections during influenza, chickenpox, or upper respiratory tract infections. There is disturbance of basic fatty acid oxidation.

4. Prevention of Reye's syndrome

Reye's syndrome is increasingly rare in children because today doctors no longer have the habit of prescribing aspirin to children. Reye's syndrome is not an infectious disease, so parents can prevent it by some measures as follows:
If the child has a headache, it is best to give the child paracetamol to relieve the pain. However, even with safe drugs like paracetamol, it is necessary to use the right dose for children to avoid side effects caused by drugs. If the pain does not go away with paracetamol, see a doctor. Mothers with young children who are breastfeeding should not take any products containing aspirin because it will be passed through breast milk. Before taking a medicine, read the label carefully to avoid accidentally giving aspirin to a child. Many over-the-counter medicines contain aspirin, including some weight-loss drugs, anti-nausea medicines, cold medicines, and sinusitis treatments. For children infected with viruses in the upper respiratory tract diseases, chickenpox, flu ... absolutely should not use aspirin but must be treated with other antipyretic and pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium. When giving medicine to children, it is necessary to pay attention to some products containing aspirin such as Alka- Seltzer, Acetylsalicylic acid. Reye is a syndrome that can be life-threatening. However, the degree of brain damage for each child is different. Take your child to the emergency room right away if your child shows signs of confusion, lethargy, or other psychiatric symptoms.
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