Reye's syndrome (encephalopathy and fatty liver). Diagnosis and treatment

Reye's syndrome is an acute encephalopathy and fatty liver which has mainly been recognized in children through the age of about 16 years. Since the patients are not jaundiced and the liver may be relatively small at the moment of admission, the diagnosis must be sought by a high index of suspicion and the routine use of liver function studies, especially the SGOT, in all unexplained cases of encephalopathy. Early treatment and appropriate management of cerebral edema seem to reduce the over-all mortality of Reye's syndrome from more than 50% to less than 20%. Alert gastroenterologists may find some adult cases of Reye's syndrome masquerading as acute neurological disease or supposed acute drug reactions.