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Review
. 2003 Sep;8(3):259-65.
doi: 10.1046/j.1440-1843.2003.00486.x.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong

Kenneth W Tsang  1 , Thomas Y Mok, Poon C Wong, Gaik C Ooi
Affiliations
Review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong

Kenneth W Tsang et al. Respirology. 2003 Sep.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a recently recognized and highly contagious pneumonic illness, caused by a novel coronavirus. While developments in diagnostic, clinical and other aspects of SARS research are well underway, there is still great difficulty for frontline clinicians as validated rapid diagnostic tests or effective treatment regimens are lacking. This article attempts to summarize some of the recent developments in this newly recognized condition from the Asia Pacific perspective.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CXR of three SARS patients showing (a) predominantly right lower lobe ground glass opacification in a 24‐year‐old woman, (b) bilateral lower zone consolidation in a 36‐year‐old woman, and (c) bilateral ground glass opacification resembling adult respiratory distress syndrome, with superimposed nodular shadows, in a 65‐year‐old man.
Figure 1
Figure 1
CXR of three SARS patients showing (a) predominantly right lower lobe ground glass opacification in a 24‐year‐old woman, (b) bilateral lower zone consolidation in a 36‐year‐old woman, and (c) bilateral ground glass opacification resembling adult respiratory distress syndrome, with superimposed nodular shadows, in a 65‐year‐old man.
Figure 1
Figure 1
CXR of three SARS patients showing (a) predominantly right lower lobe ground glass opacification in a 24‐year‐old woman, (b) bilateral lower zone consolidation in a 36‐year‐old woman, and (c) bilateral ground glass opacification resembling adult respiratory distress syndrome, with superimposed nodular shadows, in a 65‐year‐old man.
Figure 2
Figure 2
CXR of a 42‐year‐old man with SARS showing bilateral lower zone and left mid zone consolidation and pneumomediastinum. There is also surgical emphysema in the left axilla.
Figure 3
Figure 3
High‐resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of a 31‐year‐old woman with early SARS who presented 3 days after the onset of fever and chills showing bilateral lower lobe and peripheral ground glass appearances, especially in the posterior aspects of the lower lobes. It is of note that her CXR showed much fewer changes therefore prompting the request for the HRCT.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Schematic diagram showing the logistics of care for patients with pneumonia and fever admitted to Queen Mary Hospital, the University of Hong Kong since March 2003.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Peiris JSM, Lai ST, Poon LLM et al. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet 2003; 361: 1319–25. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rota PA, Oberste MS, Monroe SS et al. Characterization of a novel coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome. Science 2003; 300: 1394–9. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . http://www.who.int/csr/sars/country/2003_05_26/en/
    1. Tsang KW, Ho PL, Ooi GC et al. A cluster of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Hong Kong. N. Engl. J. Med. 2003; 348: 1977–85. - PubMed
    1. Hsu LY, Lee CC, Green JA et al. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Singapore: Clinical features of index patient and initial contacts. Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2003; 9: 713–17. - PMC - PubMed

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