Table 2.
Clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 admitted to a reference hospital in Northeast Brazil during the first and second pandemic waves.
| First wave (n=1087) | Second wave (n=1405) | Total (n=2492) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time from presentation at emergency department to hospital admission, days | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–4) | 2 (1–4) | <0.001 |
| Personal history | ||||
| Current smoker | 57 (5.2) | 77 (5.5) | 134 (5.4) | 0.795 |
| Former smoker | 284 (26.1) | 283 (20.1) | 567 (22.8) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol abuse | 40 (3.7) | 63 (4.5) | 103 (4.1) | 0.317 |
| Former drinker | 48 (4.4) | 45 (3.2) | 93 (3.7) | 0.113 |
| Any comorbidities | 821 (75.5) | 995 (70.8) | 1816 (72.9) | 0.009 |
| Hypertension | 608 (55.9) | 689 (49) | 1297 (52) | 0.001 |
| Diabetes | 445 (40.9) | 406 (28.9) | 851 (34.1) | <0.001 |
| Obesity | 254 (23.4) | 427 (30.4) | 681 (27.3) | <0.001 |
| Coronary disease | 88 (8.1) | 48 (3.4) | 136 (5.5) | <0.001 |
| Neurological disease | 81 (7.5) | 32 (2.3) | 113 (4.5) | <0.001 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 34 (3.1) | 77 (5.5) | 111 (4.5) | <0.001 |
| Asthma | 32 (2.9) | 40 (2.8) | 72 (2.9) | 0.481 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 27 (2.5) | 18 (1.3) | 45 (1.8) | 0.025 |
| Rheumatological disease | 22 (2) | 18 (1.3) | 40 (1.6) | 0.143 |
| Cancer | 16 (1.5) | 0 (0) | 16 (0.6) | <0.001 |
| Number of comorbidities per patient | 2 (1–3) | 1 (0–2) | 1 (0–2) | <0.001 |
| Time from symptom onset to hospital admission, days | 10 (7–13) | 11 (9–14) | 11 (8–13) | <0.001 |
| Dyspnoea | 965 (88.8) | 1139 (81.1) | 2104 (84.4) | <0.001 |
| Cough | 721 (66.3) | 888 (63.2) | 1609 (64.6) | 0.106 |
| Fever | 687 (63.2) | 805 (57.3) | 1492 (59.9) | 0.003 |
| Myalgia | 268 (24.7) | 369 (26.3) | 637 (25.6) | 0.361 |
| Headache | 129 (11.9) | 257 (18.3) | 386 (15.5) | <0.001 |
| Asthenia | 117 (10.8) | 167 (11.9) | 284 (11.4) | 0.382 |
| Sore throat | 75 (6.9) | 178 (12.7) | 253 (10.2) | <0.001 |
| Anosmia | 104 (9.6) | 496 (6.8) | 200 (8) | 0.013 |
| Diarrhoea | 73 (6.7) | 119 (8.5) | 192 (7.7) | 0.103 |
| Coryza | 71 (6.5) | 100 (7.1) | 171 (6.9) | 0.566 |
| Ageusia | 64 (5.9) | 84 (6) | 148 (5.9) | 0.924 |
| Nausea | 36 (3.3) | 44 (3.1) | 80 (3.2) | 0.800 |
| Nasal congestion | 39 (3.6) | 40 (2.8) | 79 (3.2) | 0.295 |
| Fatigue | 37 (3.4) | 34 (2.4) | 71 (2.8) | 0.143 |
NP, not performed.
Statistical analysis was performed using t-test and Chi-squared test. Results are shown as number of cases (%) and median (interquartile range).