0
Sign In  | Subscribe
2 November 2004, Vol 141, No. 9>
Summaries for Patients | 2 November 2004

Description of the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Outbreak in Hong Kong FREE

[+] Article and Author Information

The summary below is from the full report titled “The Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in the 2003 Hong Kong Epidemic: An Analysis of All 1755 Patients.” It is in the 2 November 2004 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 141, pages 662-673). The authors are G.M. Leung, A.J. Hedley, L.-M. Ho, P. Chau, I.O.L. Wong, T.Q. Thach, A.C. Ghani, C.A. Donnelly, C. Fraser, S. Riley, N.M. Ferguson, R.M. Anderson, T. Tsang, P.-Y. Leung, V. Wong, J.C.K. Chan, E. Tsui, S.-V. Lo, and T.-H. Lam.


Ann Intern Med. 2004;141(9):I-63. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-141-9-200411020-00002
Text Size: A A A

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious, sometimes fatal, illness caused by a virus called coronavirus. First described in Asia in 2002, SARS was discovered in Chinese patients who had fever and severe breathing problems. In spring 2003, SARS quickly spread among humans with close person-to-person contact. More than 8000 people in Asia, Europe, and North and South America became sick with SARS. Some places, such as Hong Kong, set up emergency clinics to handle the large numbers of patients with the illness. Few studies have fully described what happened during the outbreak and the rapid spread of the infection.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To describe the 2003 outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong.

Who was studied?

All 1755 reported cases of SARS in Hong Kong in 2003.

How was the study done?

The researchers reviewed a data set that contained information about all patients reported to have SARS who were hospitalized in Hong Kong during the 2003 outbreak. The data set included information about patients' residence and contacts, type and timing of presenting symptoms, blood work, and outcomes. The researchers examined the data to see where most infections occurred and how the virus spread.

What did the researchers find?

Most cases clustered in hospitals and residential buildings. Close human contact and spread through a sewage system probably explained the clustering. Almost one quarter of the infected patients were health care workers. The outbreak lasted about 3 months. The estimated mean incubation period of the viral infection was 4.6 days, and 17% of the patients died. Factors associated with increased risk for death included older age and male sex.

What were the limitations of the study?

The investigators obtained study data from reviewing records. Some patients may have had symptoms and findings or may have received treatments that were not recorded in the records. The presentation and course of SARS may be different in settings that are not large outbreaks.

What are the implications of the study?

The SARS coronavirus may not spread easily and rapidly, except in settings of close contact or exposure to contaminated waste.

Figures

Tables

References

Letters

NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Compression-Only CPR: Pushing the Science Forward
Cone
AAM 2010;304:1493-1495.
All you need to read in the other general jounals
BMJ 2010;341:c5893-c1494.

Comments

Submit a Comment
Submit a Comment

Summary for Patients

Clinical Slide Sets

Terms of Use

The In the Clinic® slide sets are owned and copyrighted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). All text, graphics, trademarks, and other intellectual property incorporated into the slide sets remain the sole and exclusive property of the ACP. The slide sets may be used only by the person who downloads or purchases them and only for the purpose of presenting them during not-for-profit educational activities. Users may incorporate the entire slide set or selected individual slides into their own teaching presentations but may not alter the content of the slides in any way or remove the ACP copyright notice. Users may make print copies for use as hand-outs for the audience the user is personally addressing but may not otherwise reproduce or distribute the slides by any means or media, including but not limited to sending them as e-mail attachments, posting them on Internet or Intranet sites, publishing them in meeting proceedings, or making them available for sale or distribution in any unauthorized form, without the express written permission of the ACP. Unauthorized use of the In the Clinic slide sets will constitute copyright infringement.

Toolkit

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Advertisement

Related Content

Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.

Topic Collections
PubMed Articles
The Metropole, superspreaders, and other mysteries.
Science (New York, N.Y.) Issue date: 2013 Mar 15
War stories.
Science (New York, N.Y.) Issue date: 2013 Mar 15

Annals of Internal Medicine

Other Resources

Copyright © 2013 The American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.
Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Forgot your password?
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
(Required)
(Required)