Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Clinical Outcome and Prognostic Correlates

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome: Clinical Outcome and Prognostic Correlates

Ping Tim Tsui, Man Leung Kwok, Hon Yuen, Sik To Lai

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) poses a major threat to the health of people worldwide. We performed a retrospective case series analysis to assess clinical outcome and identify pretreatment prognostic correlates of SARS, managed under a standardized treatment protocol. We studied 127 male and 196 female patients with a mean age of 41±14 (range 18–83). All patients, except two, received ribavirin and steroid combination therapy. In 115 (36%) patients, the course of disease was limited. Pneumonitis progressed rapidly in the remaining patients. Sixty-seven (21%) patients required intensive care, and 42 (13%) required ventilator support. Advanced age, high admission neutrophil count, and high initial lactate dehydrogenase level were independent correlates of an adverse clinical outcome. SARS-associated coronavirus caused severe illnesses in most patients, despite early treatment with ribavirin and steroid. This study has identified three independent pretreatment prognostic correlates.

2003

severe acute respiratory syndrome, clinical outcome, ribavirin, steroid, Hong Kong, China

DOI: 10.3201/eid0909.030362

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Infectious and parasitic diseases, Medicine

EN