title: Evidence for hypertyraminemia in Reye's syndrome.
abstract: Utilizing a specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay, palsma and urine tyramine were measured in 14 consecutive patients with liver biopsy-proven Reye's syndrome. Plasma tyrosine was measured in 11 of these patients. The results revealed significant (P less than .003) elevation in plasma (3.4 +/- .52 ng/ml) (mean +/- SEM) and urine (1.00 +/- .26 mg/24 hr) tyramine as well as plasma tyrosine (204 +/- 52.5 mumole/liter) at the onset of the disease when compared to the levels of tyramine and tyrosine in a group of hospitalized patients without hepatic disorders. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between plasma tyramine and days in coma (r = .86; P less than .001), and between plasma tyramine and tyrosine (r = 0.80; P less than .001). These data suggest that there is s substantial disturbance of tyrosine metabolism in Reye's syndrome and that the accumulation of this amino acid and its metabolite, tyramine, may contribute to the encephalopathy of this disease.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012202:Reye Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine; D014439:Tyramine / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014443:Tyrosine; D014439:Tyramine