Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

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Lungs

Respiratory system

SARS

The hallmark symptoms are:

• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Fever greater than 100.4 degrees F (38.0 degrees C)
• Other breathing symptoms

The most common symptoms are:

• Chills and shaking
• Cough -- usually starts 2-3 days after other symptoms
• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle aches

Less common symptoms include:

• Cough that produces phlegm (sputum)
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Runny nose
• Sore throat

In some people, the lung symptoms get worse during the second week of illness, even after the fever has stopped.

Your health care provider may hear abnormal lung sounds while listening to your chest with a stethoscope. In most people with SARS, changes on a chest x-ray or chest CT show pneumonia, which is typical with SARS.

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Tests used to diagnose SARS might include:

• Blood clotting tests
• Blood chemistry tests
• Chest x-ray or chest CT scan
• Complete blood count (CBC)

Tests used to quickly identify the virus that causes SARS include:

• Antibody tests for SARS
• Direct isolation of the SARS virus
• Rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for SARS virus

All current tests have some limitations. They may not be able to easily identify a SARS case during the first week of the illness, when it is most important.

Review Date: 02/19/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).