Objective: To analyze the clinical features of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Methods: The clinical features of 35 patients with SARS in the past five months were retrospectively studied, and compared with 35 patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Consecutive blood samples from 13 patients with SARS and 10 healthy volunteers were collected. The CD+4 and CD+8 in T cell in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry.
Results: The most common symptoms included fever (in 100.0 percent of the patients), cough (74.3 percent), headache (45.7 percent), myalgia (45.7 percent) and lymphopenia (20/33). Serial chest radiographs showed progressive multi-infiltration in the lung fields. The CD+4 and CD+8 in T cell in 13 patients with SARS significantly decreased [CD+4: (16.10+/-4.31) percent vs. (38.30+/-8.52) percent, t=8.174,P<0.01; CD+8: (19.90+/-5.40) percent vs. (28.38+/-4.33) percent, t=4.055, P<0.01]. The time of bringing down the fever and the time of absorption of pathological changes in SARS patients were prolonged than those of the pneumonia patients [the time of bringing down the fever (13.92+/-8.35) days vs. (3.86+/-1.42)days, t=16.490,P=0.000;the time of absorption of pathological changes: (11.97+/-4.41) days vs. (9.21+/-4.42) days, t=3.082,P=0.003].
Conclusion: SARS is a serious respiratory illness, the most common symptoms are fever, cough, headache and myalgia, other common findings are lymphopenia, the CD+4 and CD+8 in T cell in peripheral blood decrease and multi-infiltrate through out the lung fields.