SARS Death Rate Doubles In Polluted Cities

[no1_vern]

A new study led by researchers at the UCLA School of Public Health associates air pollution with an increased risk of dying from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

Published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, the study shows that patients with SARS are more than twice as likely to die from the disease if they come from areas of high pollution.

"Long-term and short-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with a variety of adverse health effects including acute respiratory inflammation, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- and now SARS,"

[Soheils91]

Well thats understandable, i mean pollution and lung problems. I knew this would e found
ITS GOOD TO LIVE IN CANADA! WOOT!

[M_Six]

Isn't Toronto in Canada?

[Mickwish]

Sorry, this ain't very valid, folks. Medical researchers will tear this to shreds if they made firm conclusions. Needs much further anaylsis.

The researchers were unable to examine the socioeconomic status or the smoking habits of the SARS patients, nor did they consider the treatment that the patients were given. All of these may have contributed to the patients' outcome.

So, who's to say the folks who live in polluted areas are not more likely to smoke? Or exercise less? And we know now some specific treatments influenced the outcome, so how can we ignore what they had done to them?

Too many confounding variables to be accepted as a given I'm afraid. Nice theory, though, fits with what we know about other respiratory disorders.

The real moral of this tale is: stay healthy, and don't get SARS!!

Cheers
Mick