Giving aspirin to children can cause which condition?

• A. Kawasaki disease
• B. Reye syndrome
• C. Rhabdomyolysis
• D. Hemophilia

Answer: (B)

Giving aspirin to children can trigger Reye syndrome, a rare but life-threatening condition that affects the brain and liver after a viral illness. It typically follows illnesses like influenza or chickenpox. The brain swelling leads to vomiting, confusion, and seizures, and the liver becomes damaged, which can show up as elevated liver enzymes and high ammonia. Because of this strong association, aspirin is avoided in kids for fever or pain; safer alternatives like acetaminophen or ibuprofen are used instead.

Kawasaki disease is a separate pediatric inflammatory condition; aspirin may be used as part of its treatment, but it is not caused by aspirin. Rhabdomyolysis is muscle breakdown, which is not linked to aspirin in children. Hemophilia is a genetic bleeding disorder and is not caused by aspirin, though aspirin can worsen bleeding tendencies.