gray syndrome, a toxic condition in neonates, especially premature infants, caused by a reaction to chloramphenicol. Because the body’s mechanisms for detoxification and excretion of drugs are immature, the infant has limited ability to conjugate and thus eliminate the chloramphenicol. The condition is named for the characteristic ashen-gray cyanosis, which is accompanied by abdominal distension, hypothermia, vomiting, respiratory distress, and vascular collapse. The syndrome, which is fatal if the drug is continued, can be prevented by conservative dosages of the drug and by restriction of its use in women during late pregnancy or labor (because chloramphenicol readily crosses the placental barrier) and in lactating mothers. Also called gray baby syndrome.
