Tw. Young, REYES-SYNDROME - A DIAGNOSIS OCCASIONALLY 1ST MADE AT MEDICOLEGAL AUTOPSY, The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology, 13(1), 1992, pp. 21-27
Reye's syndrome, a condition characterized pathologically by cerebral
edema and fatty change of the liver, has been described extensively in
the medical literature as a disease manifested clinically by encephal
opathy and coma. This is a report of five cases of Reye's syndrome occ
urring as sudden, unexpected deaths outside of the hospital. In each o
f these cases, there is a vague history of a previous viral illness. A
history of aspirin intake is inconstant. Each child either had no sig
nificant past illnesses or there was a history of repeated upper respi
ratory infections. The classic progression of signs and symptoms usual
ly described for Reye's syndrome, where vomiting usually precedes ence
phalopathy and coma, was not present in any of the cases. Results of a
utopsies showed the characteristic findings for Reye's syndrome, and a
dditional tests showed no other explanation for the deaths. This manif
estation of the disease is seldom described in medical literature, but
it may be encountered occasionally by the medical examiner.