How to Identify Signs of Reye's Syndrome

Reye's Syndrome is a disease that affects mostly children and teenagers, and involves the liver, brain, kidneys and heart. While the definite cause of Reye's Syndrome is currently unknown, it typically occurs following a viral infection or illness, such as chicken pox and flu. For this reason, parents are advised not to give their children aspirin, as studies have linked the prevalence of the condition to drugs containing salicylate.Risks of contracting Reye's Syndrome increase with the above-mentioned chicken pox and flu, as well as other respiratory infections. Parents should know enough to be able to recognize the signs or symptoms of Reye's Syndrome in order to initiate prompt treatment and to prevent complications such as pneumonia, respiratory seizures, heart problems, and even brain damage, coma and death.

Instructions

• 1

  Carefully watch your children when they are suffering from flu or chicken pox and never, under any circumstances, give them aspirin during such episodes. Actually, it is best to treat children and teens suffering from viral illnesses with ibuprofen or acetaminophen such as Tylenol for fevers, aches and pains. One of the most common signs of Reye's Syndrome is drowsiness and lethargy in children that seems unrelated to simply lack of sleep or not feeling well.

• 2

  Watch your child for episodes of vomiting. These episodes may produce mild or volatile bouts of nausea and vomiting that are often accompanied by confusion and the above-mentioned lethargy.

• 3

  Pay close attention to your child or teen and watch for signs of behavior changes. While we are all aware that most children and teens may grow cranky or irritable with they are ill, these personality or behavior changes may seem unwarranted and extreme. Sometimes, children or teens also suffer from delirium with or without the presence of fever.

• 4

  Observe your child or teen for signs of seizures in the arms, legs, or torso. These seizures may appear mild and last only seconds, to those that may last several minutes. Consult your physician if you see any signs of seizure activity in your child.

• 5

  Listen to your child speak and watch for signs of slurring, speech problems, or difficulty communicating. In addition, some children and teens afflicted with Reye's Syndrome also complain of seeing double.