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SARS Survivors Regain Physical Health but Mental Health Impact Can Linger

Posted on: Monday, 25 June 2007, 18:12 CDT

By HELEN BRANSWELL

TORONTO (CP) - A new study says Toronto's SARS survivors mostly regained their physical health, but for some the psychological toll of their illness lingered for months after they recovered.

The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that a year after they recovered 17 per cent of SARS patients studied still had not returned to work.

While most of the patients followed regained lung function a year after their illness, 18 per cent of the survivors had a significant reduction in the distance they were able to walk in a six-minute period.

Senior author Dr. Margaret Herridge says a handful of patients still have lung damage four years after the outbreak and will likely have reduced lung function for the rest of their lives.

Of 117 SARS survivors studied, 33 per cent reported a decline in their mental health a year after their brush with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

And some of the patients were heavy users of mental health services during their recovery period; 51 required 668 visits to psychiatrists or psychologists.

There were 387 SARS patients in the Toronto area during the outbreak, which lasted from March to July of 2003.

Source: Canadian Press

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