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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffUse caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Though aspirin is approved for use in children older than age 2, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This includes plain aspirin and medications that contain aspirin.
Some hospitals and medical facilities conduct newborn screenings for fatty acid oxidation disorders to determine which children are at greater risk of developing Reye's syndrome. Children with known fatty acid oxidation disorders should not take aspirin or aspirin-containing products.
Always check the label before you give your child medication, including over-the-counter products and alternative or herbal remedies. Aspirin can show up in some unexpected places, such as Alka-Seltzer. Sometimes aspirin goes by other names, too, such as:
- Acetylsalicylic acid
- Acetylsalicylate
- Salicylic acid
- Salicylate
If your child has the flu, chickenpox or another viral illness, use other medications — such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve) — to reduce high fever or relieve pain.
There's one caveat to the aspirin rule, however. Children and teenagers who have certain chronic diseases, such as Kawasaki disease, may need long-term treatment with drugs that contain aspirin. If your child needs aspirin therapy, make sure his or her vaccines are current — including two doses of the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine and a yearly flu vaccine. Avoiding these two viral illnesses can help prevent Reye's syndrome.
- NINDS Reye's syndrome information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/reyes_syndrome/reyes_syndrome.htm. Accessed May 27, 2011.
- Reye's syndrome. National Reye's Syndrome Foundation. http://www.reyessyndrome.org/pdfs/Awareness_Lists_English_full.pdf. Accessed May 27, 2011.
- Ropper AH, et al. The acquired metabolic disorders of the nervous syndrome. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adam's and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3639722&searchStr=reye+syndrome#3639722. Accessed May 31, 2011.
- Stone CK, et al. Neurologic emergencies. In: Stone CK, et al. Current Diagnosis and Treatment: Emergency Medicine. 6th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3108592&searchStr=reye+syndrome. Accessed May 31, 2011.
- Gosalakkal JA, et al. Reye syndrome and Reye-like syndrome. Pediatric Neurology. 2008;39:198.
- Reyes syndrome — Acute. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed June 1, 2011.
- Kawasaki disease. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4634. Accessed June 1, 2011.
- Recommended immunization schedules for persons aged 0 through 6 years — United States, 2011. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-bw.pdf. Accessed June 1, 2011.
- Recommended immunization schedules for persons aged 7 through 18 years — United States, 2011. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/7-18yrs-schedule-bw.pdf. Accessed June 1, 2011.
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