Table 3.
Baseline and clinical characteristics of the study population using optimal cut-off values for C-reactive protein and procalcitonin.
| Characteristics | Both CRP and PCT not elevated (n = 691) | Only CRP elevateda (n = 455) | Only PCT elevatedb (n = 276) | Both CRP and PCT elevated (n = 350) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 66.9 ± 13.9 | 68.9 ± 13.0 | 67.8 ± 13.9 | 66.7 ± 13.7 | 0.054 |
| Male | 415 (60.1) | 265 (58.2) | 180 (65.2) | 185 (52.9) | 0.016 |
| Past medical history | |||||
| Hypertension | 247 (35.7) | 194 (42.6) | 116 (42.0) | 166 (47.4) | 0.002 |
| Diabetes | 202 (29.2) | 119 (26.2) | 89 (32.2) | 121 (34.6) | 0.056 |
| Coronary artery disease | 105 (15.2) | 53 (11.6) | 33 (12.0) | 35 (10.0) | 0.081 |
| Stroke | 87 (12.6) | 56 (12.3) | 26 (9.4) | 42 (12.0) | 0.571 |
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 57 (8.2) | 45 (9.9) | 16 (5.8) | 26 (7.4) | 0.246 |
| Metastatic cancer | 162 (23.4) | 119 (26.2) | 68 (24.6) | 85 (24.3) | 0.777 |
| Vital signs at shock recognition | |||||
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 91.8 ± 24.0 | 92.3 ± 24.1 | 83.0 ± 17.5 | 85.7 ± 22.6 | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 54.7 ± 15.9 | 55.5 ± 16.9 | 51.7 ± 12.0 | 53.9 ± 17.6 | 0.016 |
| Pulse rate, beats/min | 103.6 ± 23.7 | 106.9 ± 23.0 | 105.0 ± 22.3 | 109.5 ± 24.1 | 0.001 |
| Infection focus | |||||
| Pneumonia | 223 (32.3) | 183 (40.2) | 54 (19.6) | 100 (28.6) | <0.001 |
| Urinary tract infection | 142 (20.5) | 103 (22.6) | 85 (30.8) | 116 (33.1) | <0.001 |
| Hepatobiliary and pancreas infection | 133 (19.2) | 74 (16.3) | 76 (27.5) | 73 (20.9) | 0.003 |
| Gastrointestinal infection | 136 (19.7) | 69 (15.2) | 46 (16.7) | 52 (14.9) | 0.126 |
| Laboratory findings | |||||
| White blood cell count (×103/μL) | 9.6 [5.1–15.3] | 11.6 [5.7–17.9] | 9.5 [4.5–17.0] | 10.5 [4.4–17.8] | 0.058 |
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | 11.1 ± 2.5 | 10.7 ± 2.4 | 11.4 ± 2.7 | 11.2 ± 2.6 | 0.001 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 1.1 [0.8–1.6] | 1.2 [0.9–2.0] | 1.7 [1.2–2.5] | 2.1 [1.4–2.9] | <0.001 |
| Blood urea nitrogen, mg/dL | 21.2 [15.0–31.0] | 26.0 [18.7–39.0] | 29.0 [20.8–40.3] | 38.0 [28.0–51.9] | <0.001 |
| Aspartate transaminase, IU/L | 35.0 [23.0–69.3] | 35.0 [23.0–60.0] | 58.0 [28.0–148.0] | 45.0 [29.0–93.3] | <0.001 |
| Alanine transaminase, IU/L | 23.0 [14.0–49.0] | 23.0 [13.0–43.0] | 35.5 [16.0–89.8] | 29.0 [16.0–59.0] | <0.001 |
| Initial lactate level, mmol/L | 2.9 [1.7–5.0] | 2.8 [1.7–4.7] | 4.0 [2.4–6.5] | 4.3 [2.7–6.4] | <0.001 |
| CRP, mg/dL | 5.1 [1.2–9.4] | 22.0 [17.5–29.3] | 5.5 [0.7–9.9] | 25.0 [18.8–30.3] | <0.001 |
| PCT, ng/mL | 1.2 [0.4–5.4] | 3.3 [1.0–8.1] | 41.8 [24.5–66.7] | 46.0 [25.6–94.9] | <0.001 |
| Severity score | |||||
| Maximum SOFA | 7.0 [5.0–10.0] | 7.0 [5.0–10.0] | 9.0 [6.0–12.0] | 10.0 [7.0–12.0] | <0.001 |
| APACHE-II score | 18.0 [12.0–24.0] | 19.0 [14.0–26.0] | 19.0 [13.3–26.0] | 22.0 [15.0–28.0] | <0.001 |
| 28-day mortality | 125 (18.1) | 98 (21.5) | 49 (17.8) | 94 (26.9) | 0.006 |
Values were expressed as means ± standard deviation, medians [interquartile range], or numbers (%).
aCRP elevation ≥14.0 mg/dL.
bPCT elevation ≥17.0 ng/mL Abbreviations: CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; SOFA, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation.