Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (cont.)
Medical Author:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhDDr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications. Medical Editor:
John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP
John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEPJohn P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. IN THIS ARTICLE
SARS Medical TreatmentCurrently, no specific treatment exists for SARS, although various treatments have been tried with unclear success. Specialists in infectious diseases and pulmonary care and others should be involved with the care of SARS patients. Medical treatments that have been tried include corticosteroids, antiviral agents, interferon, and various antibody preparations, nitric oxide, and a traditional Chinese medication termed glycyrrhizin (a compound found in licorice roots). Most of these treatments have not been studied enough to prove effectiveness. Most hospitalized patients require supportive care such as supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. People with confirmed or suspected SARS should be isolated and undergo aggressive treatment in a hospital. Mechanical ventilation (a device that assists in a person's breathing) and critical care may be necessary because of respiratory distress. Next Page: |
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) »
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a serious, potentially life-threatening viral infection caused by a previously unrecognized virus from the Coronaviridae family.
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