A mother asks why she was told never to give aspirin to her 4-year-old during a febrile illness with chickenpox. The feared complication is:
- A Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- B Reye syndrome with hepatic steatosis and encephalopathy ✓
- C Haemolytic uraemic syndrome
- D Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease
Correct answer: B. Reye syndrome with hepatic steatosis and encephalopathy
Explanation
Aspirin use in children with viral illnesses, especially influenza and varicella, is associated with Reye syndrome, characterised by microvesicular fatty change in the liver and encephalopathy with cerebral oedema, which can be fatal. Paracetamol or ibuprofen are the recommended antipyretics in children. AERD is an adult asthma phenotype unrelated to paediatric viral illness, and the other options are not linked to aspirin in this setting.
Reference: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 21st ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.