BMJ 1994;309:1443 (26 November)

Letters

Reye's syndrome

EDITOR,--Susan M Hall has commented1 on our statement that Reye's syndrome should be reassessed.2 As we originally emphasised, the fact that Reye's syndrome is a heterogeneous condition implies that the North American and British epidemiological studies were done on a heterogeneous group of children with quite different--viral, metabolic, or toxic--diseases. This compromises the data suggesting a link between Reye's syndrome and aspirin, as the definition of a "case subject" must be specific for the case-control study to be valid and reliable.3

With regard to the aetiology of Reye's syndrome, it is surprising that Hall denies any evidence for an aetiological role for antiemetics despite accumulating evidence. In 1976 the Food and Drug Administration's warning concerning Reye's syndrome and antiemetics was based on convincing data (table). Moreover, why deny the results of the Ohio study part I and even the complete results of the British risk factor study itself?2 If Hall . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Reye's syndrome
S M Hall
BMJ 1994 309: 411. [Extract] [Full Text]

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