[The Reye syndrome].

The Reye syndrome is a complex disease that remains little-known despite its severity. It can occur in children of all ages, and is often fatal, while surviving children often display neurological damage. The therapy is symptomatic and supportive. The diagnosis of Reye's syndrome is not straightforward, as the symptoms are very diverse. The causes of the disease are moreover still unclear, and, after many years of discussion and research, it can still not be proved irrefutably whether administration of acetylsalicylic acid to children suffering from viral infections is a factor in the development of Reye's syndrome.