Clinical characteristics of 42 SARS patients and their treatment of integrative Chinese and western medicine

Objective: To understand the clinical manifestation of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and explore its effective treatment with integrative Chinese and western medicine (ICWM).Methods: The data of patients, whose diagnosis of SARS had been confirmed were summarized and analyzed, and clinical observation was conducted when the patients were treated with ICWM.Results: In the early stage of the 42 patients, the symptoms revealed were fever in 100% of SARS patients, headache in 92. 9%, aversion to cold in 76. 2%, chest stuffiness in 76. 2%, cough in 73. 8% and myalgia in 88. 1%; pulmonary lesion involves ≥3 lobes in 42. 9%, 2 lobes in 47. 6% and 1 lobe in 9. 5%; 61. 9% of them showed liver function abnormality (increase of ALT or AST), 47. 6% showed elevated myocardial enzyme (CK or CK-MB), 0. 48% showed an inclination of renal function (higher of BUN or Cr); in their T lymphocyte subsets, 91. 2% (31/34 patients) had lowered CD(3) and 76. 5% (26/34 patients) lowered CD(4)/CD(8) ratio. In the mid-late stage, the symptoms were lassitude and weakness in 85. 7%, scare in 81. 0%, short of breath or chest stuffiness in 71. 4%, loss of appetite in 64. 3%; light dark tongue proper in 52.4%, yellow and white tongue coating in 45. 2%, and yellow thick coating on the middle-root part of the tongue in 21. 4%. Most of them were asymptomatic when discharged from hospital, with 92. 8% of their pulmonary lesion, according to chest film, completely absorbed and liver function, myocardial enzyme and renal function all normalized. However, of the 30 patients who had CD(3) reexamination, 70% of the CD(3) showed lower than normal range and 36. 7% showed their CD(4)/CD(8) inclined to lower margin, follow-up should be done for these patients. Of the 42 patients, who received western medicine (WM) alone in the early stage and ICWM in the mid-late stage, 10 were severe cases and 3 critical cases, but none of them died. The mean defervescent time was 3. 52±0. 85 days, the time for complete absorption of pulmonary lesion judged by chest X-ray film was 26. 82±5. 98 days, and the mean hospitalization time was 33. 60±4. 37 days.Conclusion: The manifestation of SARS is multifarious, showing that there were damage in multiple organs. The T lymphocyte count percentage and its subsets, CD(3) and CD(4) /CD(8) ratio, are valuable for early diagnosis and follow-up in the rehabilitation stage. Majority of the patients could be clinically cured. Combined treatment of WM and TCM according to syndrome differentiation and psychiatric intervention are beneficial to remit partial symptoms and promote rehabilitation.