Signs & Symptoms of Reye's Disease

Reye's Syndrome. also called Reye's disease, is a disease that can strike with little warning and can affect all organs of the body, with the liver and the brain being the most at risk for complications as a result. Reye's disease is usually associated with a previous illness, such as the cold, flu or chicken pox, and has a higher rate in younger individuals. Reye's Syndrome is not contagious, but it is hard to diagnose and often gets mistaken for other illnesses. It is important to know the signs and symptoms of the disease to prevent it from causing lasting problems with your child.

Flu-Like Symptoms

• Illnesses such as a cold or flu can be a precursor to Reye's Syndrome, and the disease usually develops when an individual is recovering from such an ailment. Things like fever, vomiting and a loss of energy may seem like the flu, but could also be present during the early stages of Reye's Syndrome. The disease appears most often during January, February and March, but cases are reported in every month of the year.

Neurological Symptoms

• Reye's Syndrome can cause swelling of the brain, which can cause an infected individual to show symptoms related to changes in behavior. During the early stages of Reye's a loss of energy and drowsiness are early warning signs, but signs of brain dysfunction, such as confusion, disorientation, listlessness and nightmares, can also indicate Reye's Syndrome. In later stages, patients may become irritable and combative. Swelling in the brain can also cause an individual to slip into a coma and can even cause brain damage if the disease goes untreated for too long.

Liver and Respiratory Symptoms

• As Reye's Syndrome begins to work its way through someone's body, the disease begins to heavily affect the liver. Fatty tissue begins to accumulate on the liver, making it rigid to the touch. Seizures and coma may also fall upon an individual with Reye's Syndrome in the later stages of the disease. Hyperventilation and respiratory problems may also be present. In later stages of Reye's Syndrome, vomiting may be replaced with diarrhea, and a sick individual may display irregular breathing.