Table 2.
Characteristics of patients
| Variable | Steroid therapy group | Standard therapy group | Total | χ 2 | P |
| All patients | 20 (50%) | 20 (50%) | 40 | 0.417 | 0.748 |
| Female | 7 (43.8%) | 9 (56.3%) | 16 | ||
| Male | 13 (54.2%) | 11 (45.8%) | 24 | ||
| Mean age (years) (mean ± SD) | 57.8 ± 17.7 | 56.5 ± 16.4 | 57.1 ± 16.9 | 0.818 | |
| Underlying diseases | 11 (40.7%) | 16 (59.3%) | 27 | 2.849 | 0.176 |
| Rapidly fatal | - | - | - | ||
| Ultimately fatal | 2 (50%) | 2 (50%) | 4 | ||
| Nonfatal | 9 (39.1%) | 14 (60.9%) | 23 | ||
| No underlying diseases | 9 (69.2%) | 4 (30.8%) | 13 | ||
| APACHE II (mean ± SD) | 15.4 ± 5.5 | 17.9 ± 8.0 | 16.6 ± 6.9 | 0.249 | |
| Maximum SOFA (mean ± SD) | 7.8 ± 3.9 | 9.3 ± 4.0 | 8.5 ± 4.0 | 0.257 | |
| Acquisition of infection | 0.143 | 1.000 | |||
| Community | 16 (51.6%) | 15 (48.4%) | 31 | ||
| Hospital | 4 (44.4%) | 5 (55.6%) | 9 | ||
| Sepsis categories | 0.456 | 0.531 | |||
| Sepsis | 8 (57.1%) | 6 (42.9%) | 14 | ||
| Severe sepsis | 8 (47.1%) | 9 (52.9%) | 17 | ||
| Septic shock | 4 (44.4%) | 5 (55.6%) | 9 | ||
| Positive cultures | 2.345 | >0.05 | |||
| Gram-negative infection | 4 (36.4%) | 7 (63.6%) | 11 | ||
| Gram-positive infection | 10 (66.7%) | 5 (33.3%) | 15 | ||
| Candida infection | 1 (33.3%) | 2 (66.7%) | 3 | ||
| Polymicrobial infection | 3 (60.0%) | 2 (40.0%) | 5 | ||
| Negative cultures | 6 (46.2%) | 7 (53.8%) | 13 | ||
| Organ failure | 16 (47.1%) | 18 (52.9%) | 34 | ||
| DIC | 5 (45.5%) | 6 (54.5%) | 11 | ||
| Laboratory measurements (mean ± SD) | |||||
| Leukocytes (/mm3) | 16,057 ± 12,568 | 14,781 ± 7,317 | 0.697 | ||
| Platelets (/mm3) | 183,050 ± 137,983 | 192,800 ± 127,157 | 0.324 | ||
| ESR (mm/h) | 69 ± 36 | 49 ± 33 | 0.081 | ||
| CRP (mg/l) | 67 ± 16 | 67 ± 24 | 0.981 | ||
| Fibrinogen (mg/dl) | 814 ± 394 | 434 ± 198 | 0.002 | ||
| Median stay in hospital (days) | 14 (95% CI 11.09–20.08) | 13 (95% CI 10.13–16.37) | 0.406 | ||
| Median time to death (days) | 5 (95% CI, 2.55–8.20) | 5.5 (95% CI, 2.19–13) | 0.496 | ||
| Non-survivors | 8 (40%) | 12 (60%) | 20 | 1.600* | 0.343 |
| Survivors | 12 (60%) | 8 (40%) | 20 |
*Fisher's χ2 test. CI, confidence interval; DIC, disseminated intravascular coagulation; ESR, erythrocytes sedimentation rate.