About 100 former Sars patients may be suffering from serious bone degeneration as a result of their treatment, the Hospital Authority has revealed.
The authority has begun screening former Sars patients for avascular necrosis, a rare bone disease linked to high steroid dosage.
The estimate comes after a study in Beijing found that up to half of the health workers in Beijing hospitals who recovered from Sars have developed the disease.
Hong Kong hospitals came under criticism during the outbreak for using steroids to treat patients.
The disease causes degeneration or death of bone tissue due to a loss of blood supply. In severe cases it can cause immobility and require bone grafts or joint replacements.
Senior Hospital Authority official Daisy Dai Siu-kwan told the Legislative Council's health services panel yesterday an estimated 100 former Sars patients might be suffering from the bone disease.
She said screening of patients had begun and some MRI images showed bone abnormalities.