Alert: Talk to your Teen... Tell them Why...
Tell them about Reye's.
Click Here to learn how important it is to talk about Reye's with your Teens.
Fact: No one is immune. Reye's affects all ages, both genders, and every race.
Fact: Research figures show that 90 to 95 percent of Reye's Syndrome patients in the United States have taken aspirin during a preceding viral illness.
Remember...
Reye's Syndrome usually appears after a flu-like infection, upper respiratory infection, chicken pox, or other viral illness.
Fact: A person diagnosed with Reye's Syndrome must be hospitalized and treatment begun immediately.
Fact: Aspirin and salicylate containing medications do not have to be ingested to bring on Reye's. These medications only increase a person's chance of developing the disease.
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Reye's Syndrome, a deadly disease, strikes swiftly and can attack any child or adult without warning. All body organs are affected, with the liver and brain suffering most seriously.
While the cause and cure remain unknown, research has established a link between Reye's Syndrome and the use of aspirin and other salicylate containing medications.
In 1974, the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation was incorporated, becoming the first citizen group to generate a concerted, organized lay movement to eradicate Reye's Syndrome.
What Is Reye's Syndrome?
Reye's Syndrome is a disease which affects all organs of the body, but most lethally the liver and the brain. Reye's Syndrome is a two-phase illness because it is almost always associated with a previous viral infection, such as influenza, cold, or chicken pox. Scientists do know that Reye's Syndrome is not contagious and the cause is unknown. Reye's Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as encephalitis, meningitis, diabetes, drug overdose, poisoning, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or psychiatric illness.
Reye's Syndrome tends to appear with greatest frequency during January, February, and March when influenza is most common. Cases are reported in every month of the year. An epidemic of flu or chicken pox is commonly followed by an increase in the number of cases of Reye's Syndrome.
When Reye's Syndrome develops, it typically occurs when a person is beginning to recover from a viral illness. Abnormal accumulations of fat begin to develop in the liver and other organs of the body, along with a severe increase of pressure in the brain. Unless diagnosed and treated successfully, death is common, often within a few days. A person's life depends upon early diagnosis. Statistics indicate an excellent chance of recovery when Reye's Syndrome is diagnosed and treated in its earliest stages. The later the diagnosis and treatment, the more severely reduced are chances for successful recovery and survival.
Stages of Reye's Syndrome:
Stage I:
Persistent or continuous vomiting
Signs of brain dysfunction:
Listlessness
Loss of pep and energy
Drowsiness
Reye's Syndrome should be suspected in a person if this pattern or symptoms appear during or, most commonly, after a viral illness. Not all of the symptoms have to occur, nor do they have to be displayed in this order. Fever is not usually present. Many diseases have symptoms in common. Physicians and medical staff in emergency rooms who have not had experience in treating Reye's Syndrome may misdiagnose the disease. (See Emergency Room Information) The symptoms of Reye's Syndrome in infants do not follow a typical pattern. For example, vomiting may be replaced with diarrhea, and they may display irregular breathing.
The Foundation's Top Objectives are:
AWARENESS - to aid in early detection and educate the public and medical communities about the risk involved with using aspirin and other salicylates.
SERVICE - to provide emotional support and guidance to families experiencing the trauma of Reye's Syndrome.
RESEARCH - to support investigation into the disease's cause, management, treatment and prevention, as well as study its impact on survivors.
National Reye's Syndrome Foundation, Inc.
E-mail: nrsf@reyessyndrome.org
Toll Free: 1-800-233-7393 (U.S. only)
Telephone: 1-419-924-9000
FAX: 1-419-924-9999
We Need You! - Be a Volunteer - Be Inspired!
We need to stand up and be heard! We need to join forces and let the pharmaceutical companies and retailers know that they need to help us protect our children, not harm them!
We need to provide awareness materials to the media, and to any organization that is formulating an influenza pandemic preparedness plan or holding an immunization clinic. We need to let them know that "Baby Aspirin" and "Children's Aspirin" are not acceptable terms. We need to spread the word and protect our children!
Our Work is Not Done! Until all Parents are made aware of the risk of giving their Children Aspirin and other Products containing Salicylate Medications, Our Work is Not Done!
The National Reye's Syndrome Foundation, U.S. Surgeon General, the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that aspirin and combination products containing aspirin not be given to children or teenagers who are suffering frominfluenza-like illnesses and chicken pox.
The National Reye's Syndrome Foundation neither seeks nor receives government grants or funds for
services rendered and depends totally on voluntary contributions for support of all programs.
