Reye's syndrome is a medical condition which may even befatal in some cases due to various detrimental effects on different organs inthe human body. The liver and the brain are those which are affected the most.This disease is also known for causing hypoglycemia, swelling of the brain,severe encephalopathy and fatty liver with minimal inflammations. It is veryimportant to diagnose this medical condition as soon as possible so that certaintypes of supportive therapy may help the patient recover and avoid severe braininjury and death.
Causes of Reye’s Syndrome
The exact causes and the mechanisms which lead to thedevelopment of the Reye’s syndrome are still largely unknown. The scientistsuse the term syndrome to describe this medical condition because the featuresinvolved are way too broad to be included in a condition described as a disease.All symptoms associated with this syndrome are derived from the damage whichoccurs in the cellular mitochondria in the cells of the liver. It is quitepeculiar that Aspirin may further exacerbate that same damage. This is whyaspirin is not recommended for use in younger generations, because its sideeffects are the strongest in those age groups. Most patients who manage tosurvive the Reye’s syndrome usually suffer from various different types ofmetabolic disorders.
Link between Reye's Syndrome and Aspirin
The medicines regulatory authorities have restricted the useof Aspirin in children and younger generations due to the potentially dangerousside effects which may occur. They are approved for use only for some specificmedical purposes such as the prevention of clotting after cardiac surgeries,the treatment of Kawasaki’s disease and the reduction of the risk of stroke.Some exceptions also can be made in cases where there is an urgent need for thetreatment of painful sensations in children who do not suffer from viralillnesses or fever. The aforementionedpossible link between Aspirin and the development of the Reye’s syndrome is themain reason why the use of this type of medication is so strictly limited. Eventhough this type of disorder is quite rare, it may be fatal, so all measures ofprecaution always need to be taken. There are still no scientific facts whichwould clarify the exact way in which this association works. Nowadays, the Reye’ssyndrome is considered as a group of different disorders which may be caused byvarious different sorts of chemicals, toxins, metabolic disorders orinfections. Certain inherited metabolic disorders may be one of the possiblecauses of the development of the Reye’s syndrome as well. Some other scientificsources claim that acquired mitochondrial metabolic failure may also be heldresponsible as the main cause of the development of the Reye’s syndrome. Such failuremay be induced by numerous different sorts of medications, environmentalchemicals or viruses. Some studies have shown that abnormalities of the livercells caused by an Aspirin overdose are completely different than those whichare present in the patients who suffer from the Reye’s syndrome.
Reye’s syndrome is a very serious medical condition whichmay be potentially fatal and it calls for immediate medical attention. In orderto provide the patient with proper recovery, the condition needs to berecognized as early as possible so that it can be treated promptly. Treatmentoptions include intravenous sugar and plasma transfusion so that the levels ofsugar can be stabilized and the normal clotting time in the blood can berestored to normal. Elevated intracranial pressure needs to be treated withmedications such as barbiturates and mannitol. Young people and children needto avoid the use of Aspirin as much as possible. One should not forget the factthat Aspirin can be found in many different types of prescription drugs andover the counter medications commonly used for the treatment of arthritis,upset stomach, nausea, painful sensations in the muscles, menstrual cramps,fever and headache. All those types of medications can be taken by suppositoryor orally. Ingredients which may imply the presence of the Aspirin may alsoinclude salicylate, salicylic acid, acetylsalicylic acid and acetylsalicylate.
Mortality rate for Reye's syndrome
The Reye’s syndrome is a medical condition first describedduring the early 1970s, but it is much rarer since the early 2000s than it wasback then. The year of 1980 saw the greatest peak of the disorder when itincluded 555 reported cases of the Reye’s syndrome. Once the scientific world discovered theassociated of the Aspirin with this dreadful medical condition the number ofcases has dropped very quickly and very significantly. Since 2004 there areonly 20 new cases of the Reye’s syndrome reported each year. Sometimes it alsogets misdiagnosed as poisoning, diabetes, meningitis or encephalitis. Themortality rate for all cases of the Reye’s syndrome is somewhere between 30 and50 percent.
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