Reye’s-like syndrome in 13-year-old child (a case report)

Abstract

The article reviews the literature about classical and atypical Reye’s syndrome, discusses the causes that contribute to its occurrence, provides criteria for diagnosis with the presentation of a Reye’s-like syndrome case in the 13-year-old child. Reye’s syndrome is a dangerous pathological condition characterized by acute encephalopathy and fatty degeneration of internal organs, mainly the liver. There are different viral and bacterial infections that precede the development of Reye’s syndrome, namely influenza, acute respiratory infections, chickenpox, entero- and rotavirus infections, whooping cough, mycoplasma infection, salmonellosis. For a treatment of these infections in the presence of fever, a number of drugs to lower the temperature, such as acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, diclofenac sodium is usually used. Case presentation. We observed the case of a teenage girl with Reye’s-like syndrome associated with coronavirus infection and antipyretic drug intake in the clinic. Conclusions. Given the changes in the internal organs, namely the development of hepatic steatosis, therapy of such patients should be aimed at preventing fatty degeneration. In addition to classic Reye’s syndrome, there is an atypical Reye’s syndrome or Reye’s-like syndrome, which mainly occurs in children under 5 years old with congenital disorders of fatty acid metabolism. Dosages of prescribing antipyretic drugs should be strictly based on the child’s age and weight.