1. A Comparative Study of Clinical Features and Outcomes in Young and Older Adults with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
- Author
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Chung Kan Tsui, Ming Houng Chan, Tak Yeung Chan, Kwok Sang Yee, and Ka Ying Miu
- Subjects
Mechanical ventilation ,Geriatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Mortality rate ,Retrospective cohort study ,medicine.disease ,Intensive care unit ,law.invention ,Pneumonia ,law ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Chills ,Geriatrics and Gerontology ,Young adult ,medicine.symptom ,business ,Intensive care medicine - Abstract
Objectives: To determine the clinical presentation, findings, and outcomes of older adults (> 60) with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and compare these with a control group of younger patients (≤60). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: A community-based, acute hospital in Hong Kong. Participants: All adult inpatients with a clinical diagnosis of SARS. Measurements: Clinical presentations, investigations, treatment, and 30- and 150-day mortality. Results: There were 52 young and 25 older patients with a mean age±standard deviation of 39.5±11.7 and 72.1±7.2, respectively. Fever, chills, and diarrhea were more common in younger patients, whereas decrease in appetite and general condition occurred only in older patients. The prevalence of positive reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in nasopharyngeal secretions and stool samples was similar in the two groups. The prevalence of positive serological tests for SARS-CoV was significantly lower in older patients (42% vs 92%, P
- Published
- 2004