BMJ  2003;326 (21 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7403.0-a

Haematological changes signal outcome in SARS patients

Abnormal haematological values are common in patients with SARS. In a retrospective analysis of the haematological changes in 153 patients with SARS, Wong and colleagues (p 1358) found that lymphopenia was present in 98%, neutrophilia in 82%, and thrombocytopenia in 87%. Also, low CD4 and CD8 cell counts and a high concentration of lactate dehydrogenase at presentations were associated with adverse outcome. Depletion of lymphocytes, which was found in various lymphoid organs at postmortem examination, may be a good marker of disease activity.

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Haematological manifestations in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome: retrospective analysis

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