SARS Disease: Symptoms, Causes and Prevention
What is SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)?
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is one type of pneumonia. SARS disease is similar to COVID-2019 which is now becoming an epidemic. SARS disease is caused by the SARS-CoV coronavirus.
SARS-CoV virus infection that attacks the respiratory tract can be fatal, causing death. Especially if the right treatment is not done immediately.According to WHO, the fatality rate for SARS was 3%.
This viral infectious disease was first discovered spreading in China in November 2002. SARS then spread rapidly throughout the world and broke out in 29 countries in just a few months.
The SARS disease outbreak, which had become an epidemic in Indonesia, has been controlled and the number of cases has been suppressed. Now there are no more cases of SARS in the world since 2004.
How common is this disease?
From the recorded data, most SARS sufferers are adults aged 25-70 years. Some cases were found in adolescents aged 15 years and under.
People who are over 50 years of age or have congenital or chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and weak immunity, are at risk of experiencing fatal consequences from this disease. This can be seen from the higher mortality rate due to SARS in this risk group.
SARS signs and symptoms
Similar to COVID-19 data, SARS disease has flu-like symptoms. When infected, the virus does not directly infect and cause interference.
Symptoms usually begin 2 to 7 days after infection. This is because the virus incubation period, which is the time from when you are exposed to the virus until the first symptoms appear, can last up to 10 days.
Generally, the characteristics and symptoms of SARS that are experienced are:
- Fever over 38 ℃
- Cheerful
- Headache
- Cold
- Muscle ache
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhea
After experiencing initial symptoms, the virus will begin to enter deeper into the respiratory tract and attack healthy cells in the lungs. This condition causes more dangerous symptoms of SARS, such as:
Some of the more serious complaints are usually severe pneumonia and reduced oxygen levels in the blood. This condition can be fatal in most cases with severe symptoms.
When should I call the doctor?
You should immediately go to the hospital if you experience some symptoms of SARS, such as a high fever (38 C or more), a fever that doesn’t go away, muscle aches, and a dry cough.
This is especially recommended if you have a history of heart problems, high blood pressure, or diabetes to prevent serious symptoms, dangerous complications, and death threats.
Causes of SARS
The cause of SARS disease is the SARS-CoV coronavirus. Apart from SARS, the corona virus also causes other diseases that also attack the respiratory system such as MERS and COVID-19.
Bats and civets are the animals that are usually referred to as the “source of the virus” SARS because the virus is thought to be spread through the respiratory system of bats.
Virus transmission first occurred from animals to humans. The virus then mutates so that it can move between humans. SARS-CoV enters the body through the nose, mouth and eyes.
The virus that causes SARS can be transmitted through the air and by droplets. This means that if you breathe in the air or are exposed to droplets containing the SARS virus, you can become infected.
The following are the transmission of the virus that causes SARS that need to be watched out for in daily activities:
- Making close contact such as shaking hands, hugging, kissing infected people.
- Touching the mouth, eyes, or nose with hands that are contaminated with saliva, urine, or feces containing the virus. This mode of transmission occurs when you handle items previously used by the sufferer.
- Using the same eating utensils as an infected person.
The closer contact with SARS sufferers, the higher the risk of transmission.
Risk factors
Some of the factors that can increase your susceptibility to contracting SARS are:
- Interacting with animals or people who are infected with the virus either directly or indirectly.
- Travel to regions or countries where the SARS outbreak is spreading.
- Caring for a family member or patient who is infected.
- Not washing hands either before or after eating or not maintaining good personal hygiene.
Diagnosis
First of all, the doctor will try to diagnose SARS by asking about the risk of transmission that may be experienced and the cause of the complaint. Some of these include travel history where you have traveled recently, with whom you made contact, and others.
Next, the doctor will perform a thorough physical examination by measuring body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and breathing.
However, a physical examination is not sufficient to confirm a diagnosis of SARS. The final diagnosis requires further tests such as:
- Blood test for
- Examination of stool samples
- Reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
- Sputum culture in the laboratory
- Chest X-ray or CT Scan
Blood tests, stool and sputum samples, and PCR are needed to find out if your blood and feces are really infected with the virus that causes SARS. This test can also show whether there are antigens from the viral infection.
Radiography and tomography (CT scan) are also usually done if the doctor suspects that there is some form of complication of SARS with bronchitis and pneumonia.
SARS treatment
The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.
As of this writing, no drug has been found that can effectively cure the viral infection that causes SARS.
Although research into this disease continues to be carried out on a massive basis, scientists have not found an effective treatment for SARS disease. Antibiotics do not work against viruses and antiviral drugs have not shown much benefit.
Treatment is still in the form of supportive care to control and boost the immune system.
This method is done to prevent viral infection from causing more damage to the respiratory system.
To treat this disease, you need to get medical care. Treatment efforts undertaken for SARS are:
- Antiviral drugs, but the drugs given will not immediately eliminate the SARS virus in the body.
- Respiratory aids such as oxygen and ventilators.
- Physiotherapy through breathing exercises in recovery.
If you experience symptoms of pneumonia, your doctor will usually prescribe an additional anti-inflammatory steroid.
Patient care must be carried out in a room with an optimal ventilation system to facilitate air circulation.
How to prevent transmission
Researchers are testing several types of vaccines to effectively prevent SARS, but no vaccines have yet been tested in humans.
The following are healthy living habits that need to be applied daily to prevent transmission of SARS:
- Wash hands with soap and running water or use soap or hand sanitizer alcohol-based.
- Using a disinfectant to clean the surface of a certain object or place that is often touched by the occupants of the house.
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
- Use a mask, protective goggles, and gloves when you are traveling, in a crowd, and when you are in contact with an infected person.
- If you are sick, stay at home and carry out a quarantine period of at least 10 days after the complaint of disease has completely disappeared.
- Avoid activities that allow continuous contact, such as: eating, drinking, using toiletries, towels, or sleeping in one bed, with anyone who is sick.
Follow all precautions for at least 10 days after signs and symptoms have disappeared.
Keep children away from school if they develop fever or respiratory problems within 10 days of being exposed to SARS.
If you have any questions, please consult a professional doctor immediately to find the best medical solution.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Cleri, DJ, Ricketti, AJ, & Vernaleo, JR (2010). Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Infectious disease clinics of North America, 24(1), 175–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idc.2009.10.005
Cheng, VC, Chan, JF, To, KK, & Yuen, KY (2013). Clinical management and infection control of SARS: lessons learned. Antiviral research, 100(2), 407–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2013.08.016
Hodgens, A., & Gupta, V. (2020). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Statpearls Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK558977/
Mayo Clinic. (2020). Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) – Symptoms and causes. (2020). Retrieved 8 December 2021, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sars/symptoms-causes/syc-20351765
WHO. (2020). SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Retrieved 8 December 202, from https://www.who.int/ith/diseases/sars/en/
CDC. (2020). SARS | Home | Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome | SARS-CoV Disease. Retrieved 8 December 202, from https://www.cdc.gov/sars/index.html
American Lung Association. (2020). SARS. Retrieved 8 December 2021, from https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/severe-acute-respiratory-syndrome-sars
