This 2-year study of a selected population of SARS survivors, showed significant impairment of DL(CO), exercise capacity and health status persisted, with a more marked adverse impact among HCW.

Influenza A and two less-attended viruses, coronavirus OC43 and rhinovirus, were the common etiologic agents in patients hospitalized with AECOPD in Hong Kong. These should be considered in developing diagnostic and intervening strategies pertaining to AECOPD.

Background: A randomised controlled study was undertaken to examine the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on 24 hour systemic blood pressure (BP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Methods: Patients were fitted with an ambulatory BP measuring device as outpatients during normal activities and recorded for 24 hours before starting therapeutic or subtherapeutic (4 cm H 2 O) CPAP treatment. BP monitoring was repeated before completion of 12 weeks of treatment. The primary end point was the change in 24 hour mean BP. Results: Twenty three of 28 participants in each treatment arm completed the study. There was no significant difference between the two groups in age, body mass index, Epworth Sleepiness Score, apnoea-hypopnoea index, arousal index, and minimum SaO 2 . Twenty four patients were hypertensive. The pressure in the therapeutic CPAP group was 10.7 (0.4) cm H 2 O. CPAP usage was 5.1 (0.4) and 2.6 (0.4) hours/night for the therapeutic and subtherapeutic CPAP groups, respectively (p,0.001). After 12 weeks of treatment there were significant differences between the two CPAP groups in mean (SE) changes in 24 hour diastolic BP (