Sherry Maston, age 11, of Minto, New Brunswick, Canada, for her question:

WHAT IS REYE'S SYNDROME?

Reye's syndrome is a rare childhood disease of the liver and central nervous system. Advance cases can result in liver failure and eventual death.

Most patients with Reye's syndrome are between the ages of four and 15. The majority develop the disease while recovering from a mild viral illness, such as chicken pox or influenza. For some unknown reason, the virus seems to trigger Reye's syndrome.

Reye's syndrome is treated by giving the patient glucose and other nutrients, and by reducing his body's production of ammonia.

An Australian pathologist named R.D.K. Reye in 1963 was the first medical man to describe Reye's syndrome.