Reye syndrome
- Reye’s syndrome is a condition characterised by noninflammatory encephalopathy and hepatic failure due to aspirin intake during the course of a viral illness
- The viral illnesses which predispose to reye syndrome include
- upper respiratory tract infection
- chicken pox
- influenza
- gastroenteritis
- It occurs in children
- Pathogenesis
- the exact cause in not known
- It is suggested that salicylates cause mitochondrial dysfunction in virus infected cells
- The metabolic pathways affected are
- oxidative phosphorylation
- beta oxidation of fatty acids
- Differential diagnosis
- Meningitis
- viral encephalitis
- Head injury
- Other causes of hepatic failure
