Younger children 'less at risk from SARS'
Younger children are less susceptible to the SARS outbreak, scientists say.
Although the bug has killed at least 394 people worldwide, no children have died.
Specialists in Hong Kong say youngsters hit by severe acute respiratory syndrome develop a much milder strain of the condition.
The research, published in the medical journal The Lancet, centred on 10 children - the eldest four were teenagers - who were admitted to either the Prince of Wales or Princess Margaret hospitals in Hong Kong.
Two distinct patterns were discovered, according to paediatrician Professor Tai Fai Fok, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, who led the study.
Teenage patients presented symptoms similar to adults, such as muscle-ache but younger children had much milder symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose.
The treatment for the younger children was also much milder and shorter, he said, while the four teenagers required oxygen treatment for severe respiratory problems.
Professor Fok concluded: "Our preliminary observations suggest that younger children possibly develop a milder form of disease and tend to run a less aggressive clinical course."
In a separate study, also published in The Lancet, researchers at the Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong say surgical masks offer the best protection against SARS.
