Eric Sjoberg, age 14, of Bountiful, Utah, for his question:

WHAT IS REYE'S SYNDROME?

Reye's syndrome is a rare childhood disease of the liver and central nervous system. Most patients with the disease are between the ages

,of four and 15    but fortunately there aren't too many cases reported.

A majority of the people who have the disease develop it while recovering from a mild viral illness, such as influenza or chicken pox.    For some unknown reason, the virus apparently triggers Reye's syndrome.    Ammonia is released into the blood.

In time, the disease can damage a victim's liver and can sometimes even bring on death.

The disease was first described in 1963 by an Australian pathologist named R.D.K. Reye.

Some doctors suggest as a treatment that the victim's blood be replaced by transfusion.