SARS in newborns and children.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a highly contagious infection caused by a newly discovered strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV). Infants born to pregnant women with SARS did not appear to acquire the infection through vertical transmission. Some newborn infants, however, developed severe intrauterine growth retardation and life-threatening gastrointestinal complications. It is now known that the clinical course and prognosis are different between paediatric and adult SARS patients. Young children (< 12 years), in general, run a less aggressive clinical course than do teenage and adult patients. Thus far, no fatalities have been reported in the paediatric age group (< or =18 years). This review describes the current understanding of the clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, immunological profiles, patient management and outcomes of SARS-CoV infection in the paediatric population.
Ng
Pak C
PC
Department of Paediatrics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong. pakcheungngcuhk.edu.hk
Leung
Chi W
CW
Chiu
Wah K
WK
Wong
Shell F
SF
Hon
Ellis K L
EK
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000821:virology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D011247:Pregnancy; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed