Why is aspirin avoided in children with viral illnesses?

• A. Hypertension.
• B. Allergic reaction.
• C. Reye's syndrome.
• D. Gallstone formation.

Answer: (C)

Aspirin is avoided in children with viral illnesses because of the risk of Reye's syndrome, a rare but serious condition that can occur after aspirin use during a viral infection. Reye's syndrome causes swelling of the liver and brain and can be life-threatening, often presenting after common illnesses like the flu or chickenpox. Because of this risk, safer fever/pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are preferred for children. The other choices don’t capture this specific pediatric risk: hypertension isn’t the typical issue, an allergic reaction can occur with many drugs but isn’t the reason why aspirin is avoided in viral illnesses, and gallstones are not related to this scenario.