Symptoms
The leading symptom of the Grey syndrome is a gray coloration of the skin. This is where the name of the disease comes from. In addition, there are some other symptoms that also affect different organ systems. These are above all:
- Hypothermia
- Low blood pressure
- Loss of appetite
- Respiratory disorders
- Nausea and vomiting
- Blue coloration of fingers and toes and face
- As well as circulatory failure.
Therapy
The only therapy is the immediate discontinuation of the triggering antibiotic chloramphenicol. There is no specific antidote for the treatment of Grey’s syndrome, so the therapy is primarily focused on symptom control and close monitoring and intensive medical care. Thus, according to the possibilities of intensive care medicine, each of the above mentioned symptoms is treated in the best possible way. In severe cases, it may also be necessary to remove the medication from the child’s bloodstream using kidney replacement therapy (known as dialysis).
Prognosis
The disease is potentially life-threatening. Fortunately, it has become extremely rare nowadays as the risks of chloramphenicol for adults and especially for newborns are well known and the drug is hardly used anymore.
