Diseases » SARS » Introduction

SARS

SARS: Introduction

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious respiratory condition with initial outbreak in February 2003. The symptoms of SARS start out with flu-like symptoms (e.g. fever, headache, etc.) and then either the disease subsides or it progresses to a severe respiratory phase. This second phase is dangerous and can lead to acute respiratory failure and death. Anyone with flu-like symptoms and prior contact with known SARS cases or travel to known geographic SARS hotspots should seek immediate medical attention. Preliminary mortality rate from CDC/MMWR is 3% of cases. The condition is probably viral, most likely a coronavirus, but at this time information about the condition is still incomplete. The best methods of diagnostic testing or treatments for SARS are still unknown.

Symptoms of SARS

• Early symptoms are those of fever and related symptoms:
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • High fever
  • Chills
  • Shivering
• more symptoms...»

See full list of 35 symptoms of SARS

SARS: Complications

Review possible medical complications related to SARS:

• Pneumonia
• Acute respiratory distress (see Respiratory distress)
• Hypoxia
• Death
• more complications...»

Disease Topics Related To SARS

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, SARS:

• Chronic bronchitis
• COPD
• Emphysema
• Asthma
• Aspergillosis
• Tuberculosis
• more related diseases...»

Medical Textbooks Online about SARS

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for SARS

• No official specific SARS tests available yet
• Various SARS tests under development
• Chest imaging - for identifying pneumonia and related findings
• Chest x-rays
• Pulse oximetry
• more tests...»

See full list of 15 diagnostic tests for SARS

Wrongly Diagnosed with SARS?

• Misdiagnosis of SARS
• Failure to diagnose SARS
• Hidden causes of SARS (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Undiagnosed: SARS

Causes of SARS

Read more about causes of SARS.

Treatments for SARS

• Various treatments have been tried but it is too early to know the best forms
• Treatments similar to atypical pneumonia
• Antiviral agents
• Oseltamivir
• Ribavirin
• more treatments...»

See full list of 13 treatments for SARS

Videos for SARS

See full list of 4 related videos

Patient Surveys for SARS

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your SARS
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for SARS

Prognosis for SARS: Variable, ranging from mild to fatal.

More about prognosis of SARS

Reseach about SARS

Visit our research pages for current research about SARS treatments.

Clinical Trials for SARS

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for SARS include:

• Collection of Convalescent SARS Plasma by Apheresis - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Contamination During Removal of Two Different Personal Protective Systems - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Evaluation and Treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study of Alferon LDO in Normal Volunteers - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Alferon LDO
• Dynamic Profiles of Cytokine/Chemokine in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• more trials...»

See full list of 6 Clinical Trials for SARS

Prevention of SARS

Prevention information for SARS has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of SARS.

• Avoid droplet exposure
• Surgical masks
• more preventions...»

Read more about prevention of SARS

SARS: Broader Related Topics

• Respiratory conditions
• Viral infection
• Diseases contagious from droplets
• Diseases contagious from surfaces
• more types...»

Types of SARS

Stories from Users Related to SARS

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about SARS, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Definitions of SARS:

Species of coronavirus causing atypical respiratory disease (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in humans; organism is believed to have first emerged in Guangdong Province, China, in 2002. - (Source - Diseases Database)

A respiratory disease of unknown etiology that apparently originated in mainland China in 2003; characterized by fever and coughing or difficulty breathing or hypoxia; can be fatal - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

SARS is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that SARS, or a subtype of SARS, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

 » Next page: What is SARS?

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• What is SARS?
• Online Medical Textbooks for SARS
• Prevalence and Incidence of SARS
• Videos related to SARS
• Prognosis of SARS

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