1 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Since the discovery of salicylate in 1763, overdosage, whether acute or chronic, has frequently been described.1-3 Within the last few years, strong similarities have been noted between salicylism and Reye syndrome.4-6 The difficulty in differentiating the two is manifest by several published case reports and retrospective reviews.4,7,8 In fact, it has been suggested from pathologic findings that salicylate ingestion may cause the structural damage seen in children with Reye syndrome.7 We present a well-documented case of chronic salicylism that closely mimicked Reye syndrome, but could be differentiated from Reye syndrome on the basis of serum amino acid profile and electron microscopy.