[Reye's syndrome with pancreatitis and hypoxic brain damage]

Reye syndrome was observed in a 5 1/2-year-old girl after an appendectomy. It was accompanied by insulin-resistant hyperglycaemia. Central adaptation failure resulted in death on the fourth day of treatment. Post mortem and histological results showed phlegmonous pancreatitis of the excretory type, apart from the established manifestations of Reye syndrome (severe cerebral oedema, excessive hepatic steatosis, moderate fatty degeneration of renal tubuli). Neuropathology revealed exclusively signs of hypoxic damage. Pancreatitis, usually necrotising or haemorrhagic, is not infrequent in Reye's syndrome. Girls are predominantly affected and pancreatitis is associated with a tendency towards sometimes serious hyperglycaemia. The possibility of this complication should be considered in the treatment of Reye syndrome.