Dawn Barkley, age 14, of Fargo, N.D., for her question:

WHAT IS REYE'S SYNDROME?

Reye's syndrome is a rare childhood disease of the liver and central nervous system. The disease, which brings liver failure, kills from 20 to 25 percent of its victims.

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

In mild cases, the victim recovers with no after effects.

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

Some doctors have suggested more extensive therapy, including total replacement of the blood by transfusion. However, the effectiveness of such treatment has not been determined.

R.D.K. Reye, an Australian pathologist, was the first to describe the disease in 1963.