Table 1. Clinical characteristics of study patients.
| Characteristic | |
|---|---|
| Patients | 22 (100) |
| Age (years) | 20 (20–21) |
| Gender (male) | 22 (100) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23.6 (21.4–25.0) |
| Current smoker | 22 (100) |
| Acute presenting symptoms | |
| Cough | 21 (96) |
| Sputum | 8 (36) |
| Fever | 22 (100) |
| Dyspnea (> MMRC scale II) | 21 (96) |
| Laboratory findings | |
| White blood cell count (/μL) | 15,560 (12,320–17,693) |
| C-reactive protein (mg/dL) | 9.11 (5.02–11.75) |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm/h) | 9 (7–17) |
| NT-pro-BNP (pg/mL) | 99.3 (31.3–122.2) |
| Absolute peripheral eosinophilic count (/μL) | 239 (177–603) |
| Eosinophil % in BAL fluid | 45 (37–58) |
| Chest CT finding | |
| Diffuse ground glass opacity | 20 (91) |
| Diffuse ground glass opacity with patchy consolidation | 2 (9) |
| Interlobular septal thickening | 21 (96) |
| Pleural effusion | 15 (68) |
| Bedside echocardiography | 16 (73) |
| Oxygen saturation on room air (%) | 94 (92–96) |
| PaO2/FiO2 ratio | 295 (268–314) |
| Need for oxygen application | 21 (96) |
| ICU admission | 8 (36) |
| Survival | 22 (100) |
Data are shown as medians (interquartile range) or numbers (%). MMRC, modified medical research council; NT-pro-BNP, N-terminal of the prohormone brain natriuretic peptide; BAL, bronchoalveolar lavage; CT, computed tomography; PaO2, partial pressure of arterial oxygen; FiO2, fraction of inspired oxygen; ICU, intensive care unit. NT-pro-BNP and PaO2/FiO2 ratio data were missing in 15 and 3 cases, respectively.