What is a severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Symptoms, and Treatment

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, also known as SRAG or SARS, is a type of severe pneumonia that arose in Asia and is easily transmitted from person to person, causing symptoms such as fever, headache, and discomfort. general.

This disease can be caused by the coronavirus (Sars-CoV) or the H1N1 influenza virus and must be treated quickly with medical help since it can progress rapidly to severe respiratory failure, which can cause death.

Know what symptoms may indicate other types of pneumonia.

Main Symptoms

The symptoms of SARS are similar to those of the common flu, initially causing fever above 38 ° C, headache, body aches, and malaise. However, after about 5 days, other symptoms arise such as:

• Dry and persistent cough;
• Severe difficulty breathing;
• Wheezing in the chest;
• Increase of the respiratory frequency;
• Blue and purple fingers and mouth;
• Loss of appetite;
• Night sweats;
• Diarrhea. 

Because it is a disease that gets worse quickly, about 10 days after the first signs, severe symptoms of respiratory distress may appear and, for this reason, many people may need to remain hospitalized or under intensive care to receive help from breathing machines.

How to Confirm the Diagnosis

There is still no specific test to identify SARS, that is, the diagnosis is made based mainly on the symptoms presented and whether or not in the patient's history he had contact with other sick people.

Also, the doctor may order diagnostic tests such as lung radiography and CT scan to assess the health of the lungs.

How SARS is Transmitted

SARS is transmitted in the same way as the common flu, that is, through contact with the saliva of other infected people, mainly in the period in which there is a manifestation of symptoms.

Thus, to avoid contracting the disease, it is necessary to have hygiene attitudes such as:

• Wash your hands thoroughly when having contact with infected people or places where those people were;
• Wear protective masks to prevent transmission through saliva;
• Avoid sharing utensils with other people;
• Do not touch your mouth or eyes in case you have dirty hands. 

In addition, SARS is also transmitted through kisses, which is why close contact with sick people should be avoided, especially if there is an exchange of saliva.

How the Treatment is Performed

SARS treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. For this reason, if they are mild, the person can remain at home by staying at rest, having a balanced diet and drinking water to strengthen the body and fight the disease virus and avoid contact with healthy people or those who did not receive the H1N1 flu vaccine.

In addition, analgesic and antipyretic medications, such as Paracetamol or Dipyrone, can be used to relieve discomfort and facilitate recovery, and the use of antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu, to reduce viral load and attempt to control the infection.

On the other hand, in the most severe cases where breathing is very affected, it may be necessary to remain hospitalized to take medications directly intravenously and receive help from the breathing apparatus.

Know even some home remedies to relieve symptoms during recovery.