Longer term follow up of aerobic capacity in children affected by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

Abstract

Background: A study was undertaken to investigate the aerobic capacity and pulmonary function of children 6 and 15 months after the diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Methods: Thirty four patients of mean age 14.7 years completed both pulmonary function and maximal aerobic capacity tests at 6 months. All had normal clinical examination and were asymptomatic. Their exercise responses were compared with a group of healthy controls. Complete data were collected on 27 of the original 34 cases at 15 months. Results: Compared with normal controls, the patient group had significantly lower absolute and mass related peak oxygen consumption (peak V˙o₂ (p2 than subjects with normal radiology (p2 in the patient group remained impaired at 15 months despite normalisation of lung function in all patients. Conclusions: The mechanism for the reduced aerobic capacity in children following SARS is not fully understood, but it is probably a consequence of impaired perfusion to the lungs at peak exercise and deconditioning.