title: [Clinical study on patients at early stage of severe acute respiratory syndrome].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate the clinical features of patients at early stage of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three cases of early SARS were studied retrospectively. The data reviewed included those of epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory investigation and roentgenology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patients consisted of 24 men and 29 women, aged 10.85 years (mean 38+/-16.7 years), including 9 infected health-care professionals (17.0%). The mean incubation period was 7.3+/-7.0 days (3.14 days). The onset symptoms were characterized by fever (100%), cough (49.1%), maylgia (24.5%), shortness of breath (20.8%), malaise (17.0%),and diarrhea (5.7%). Routine blood test during the first to the fifth day of the disease revealed WBCs less than 4.0x10(9) /L in 33 patients (62.3%), 4.0-10.0x10(9)/L in 18 patients (34.0%), lymphopenia in 36 patients (67.9%), and PLT less than 100.0x10(9) in 7 patients (13.2%). The main abnormal X-ray finding was single (75.4%) or bilateral (15.1%) localized patchy clouding opacity. The decrease of arterial partial pressure of oxygen occurred in 26 patients (49.1%). The damage of several organs was common, including the elevated ALT or AST in 20 patients (37.7%), elevated BUN or SCR in 6 patients (11.3%) and elevated LDH or CK or HBDH in 23 patients (43.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical manifestations of SARS at the early stage were complex. The close monitoring of the blood cell counts, the blood gas analysis and chest radiography might be crucial to the early diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Beijing University, Beijing 100034, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Yan-yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Chong-wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Si
authors.forename: Xiao-yuan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002648:Child; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology