A medical history is an important part of diagnosing Reye syndrome. The doctor will ask you a variety of questions concerning your child's symptoms and recent health, such as:

• Has your child been ill recently?
• Has your child taken any prescription or over-the-counter medicine, including aspirin, a cold preparation, or herbs?
• What symptoms have you noticed?
• Have you noticed any recent personality changes?
• Is your child more sleepy than usual?
• Is your child more argumentative or combative than usual?

During the medical history, the doctor will also ask about other possible contributors to your child's symptoms, such as:

• Has the affected child or any of your other children ever had known metabolism problems?
• Has your child's diet recently changed, or has he or she gone without food for a longer-than-usual period of time (fasting)?
• Do you know if your child is currently experiencing major stress, such as might result from a family move or problems in school?
• Has your child's urine had an unusual odor lately?