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Bone disease worry for former Sars patients
Hong Kong, Oct 11: Dozens of former SARS patients in Hong Kong are suffering from bone degeneration, known as avascular necrosis, sources said Friday, throwing the spotlight back on the controversial cocktail of drugs used to treat many patients during the epidemic.
Hong Kong, Oct 11: Dozens of former SARS patients in Hong Kong are suffering from bone degeneration, known as avascular necrosis, sources said Friday, throwing the spotlight back on the controversial cocktail of drugs used to treat many patients during the epidemic.
"A substantial number of cases have already been proven. We are now trying to ascertain the severity," said Leung Ping-chung, an orthopedics specialist at the Prince of Wales Hospital, where the first wave of SARS infections in Hong Kong were treated.
Almost all SARS patients in Hong Kong were treated with the anti-viral drug ribavirin and steroids earlier this year, but many health experts said at the time the efficacy of the combination was unproven and could lead to serious side-effects.
At least 10 former SARS patients from every major public hospital that tended to SARS victims in Hong Kong have been found suffering from the bone disease, Leung said. At least eight public hospitals handled SARS patients.
Avascular necrosis has also been observed in some former SARS patients in mainland China, Leung told Reuters.
"It must be a general problem (in places which treated their patients using steroids)," Leung said, adding that steroids were used in many of the 30 countries affected by SARS.
In Singapore, where more than 200 people were infected with SARS and 33 of them later died, a hospital spokeswoman said no one was known to be suffering from bone degeneration.
"Now that we see this information from Hong Kong, doctors are on heightened awareness on this matter," said the spokeswoman at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore's SARS-designated hospital.
Hong Kong's hospital chief recently said that SARS patients would be treated with an HIV drug, Kaletra, and ribavirin in future. Such a combination would need lower dosages of steroids.
Bureau Report
"A substantial number of cases have already been proven. We are now trying to ascertain the severity," said Leung Ping-chung, an orthopedics specialist at the Prince of Wales Hospital, where the first wave of SARS infections in Hong Kong were treated.
Almost all SARS patients in Hong Kong were treated with the anti-viral drug ribavirin and steroids earlier this year, but many health experts said at the time the efficacy of the combination was unproven and could lead to serious side-effects.
At least 10 former SARS patients from every major public hospital that tended to SARS victims in Hong Kong have been found suffering from the bone disease, Leung said. At least eight public hospitals handled SARS patients.
Avascular necrosis has also been observed in some former SARS patients in mainland China, Leung told Reuters.
"It must be a general problem (in places which treated their patients using steroids)," Leung said, adding that steroids were used in many of the 30 countries affected by SARS.
In Singapore, where more than 200 people were infected with SARS and 33 of them later died, a hospital spokeswoman said no one was known to be suffering from bone degeneration.
"Now that we see this information from Hong Kong, doctors are on heightened awareness on this matter," said the spokeswoman at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore's SARS-designated hospital.
Hong Kong's hospital chief recently said that SARS patients would be treated with an HIV drug, Kaletra, and ribavirin in future. Such a combination would need lower dosages of steroids.
Bureau Report