title: [Comparison of serum biochemical features between SARS and other viral pneumonias].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify blood chemistry changes in coronavirus of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Biochemical changes in SARS patients were summarized and compared with other viral pneumonias. Serum total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), calcium (Ca), ferrum (Fe), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) between SARS and other viral pneumonias were examined by Roche Diagnostics assay, HITACHI7600 automatic analyzer. Clinically confirmed SARS patients, patients with other viral pneumonias, and healthy controls were included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with healthy person, the levels of serum TC, Fe, Ca, Alb were significantly lowered (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while the activity of LDH, CK, ALT, AST were elevated, the increase of CK and the decrease of Fe were the most significant (P<0.05 or P<0.01), the changes of TP and TG were not obvious. In the other viral pneumonias patients, ALT, AST, LDH were elevated slightly than those of healthy person, while Fe, Ca, Alb, TC, CK were a little reduced, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. In convalescent stage, all the tests were returned to normal ranges except ALT, AST were still elevated in SARS patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The changes in serum biochemistry are more marked in SARS patients compared with patients suffering from other viral pneumonias, the decrease of Fe as well as the inhibition of TC may be caused by the treatment of anti-virus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, PLA General Hospital and Postgraduate Medical School, Beijing 100853, China. song0602@sohu.com
authors.forename: Shu-Zhen
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hong-Ying
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Zhen-Nan
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Xing-Wang
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol; D007501:Iron