Free Republic

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Doctors in Hong Kong have detected permanent damage, or scarring, in the lungs of some recovered SARS patients as scientists around the world race against time to uncover more about the deadly disease. The territory, among the worst hit in the world from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, faced more chilling news when authorities disclosed 12 discharged patients had experienced relapses. Six of them were still in hospital. Scarring, or pulmonary fibrosis, occurs when lung tissues die and are unable to transport oxygen. The level of disability depends on the extent of the damage. Radiologists at a...