Table 1.

Demographic Data and Clinical Laboratory Indices of Patients Admitted to the Hospital With Suspected SARS^*

Characteristics	SARS Patients		p Value
	With Ribavirin Therapy (n = 44)	Without Ribavirin Therapy (n = 7)
On hospital admission
Age, yr	36.4 ± 15.7	49.8 ± 26.1	NS
Gender			NS
Male	11	2
Female	33	5
Underlying illnesses, No.	9 (20%)†	2 (29%)‡	NS
Initial Hb concentration, g/dL	13.0 ± 1.5	13.1 ± 1.4	NS
Initial lymphocyte count, ×109 cells/L	8.7 ± 5.3	8.5 ± 2.2	NS
Initial platelet count, ×103 cells/μL	225.3 ± 149.9	206.3 ± 88.0	NS
Initial creatinine level, mg/dL	1.0 ± 1.0	0.8 ± 0.1	NS
Initial AST level, IU/L	37.1 ± 31.2	23.3 ± 7.4	0.018§
Initial ALT level, IU/L	35.7 ± 39.2	13.6 ± 5.8	NS
Initial CPK level, IU/L	190.4 ± 456.6	177.7 ± 219.4	NS
Initial LDH level, IU/L	213.2 ± 86.4	137.0 ± 86.7	0.029§
During hospitalization
Nadir Hb level, g/dL	11.1 ± 1.8	12.0 ± 0.6	NS
Nadir absolute lymphocyte count, ×109 cells/L	4.7 ± 2.1	5.1 ± 2.3	NS
Peak LDH level, IU/L	392.8 ± 307.5	162.5 ± 98.0	0.017§
Peak CRP level, mg/dL	10.3 ± 11.6	5.8 ± 6.2	NS

^*Values given as mean ± SD, unless otherwise indicated. AST = aspartate aminotransferase; ALT = alanine aminotransferase; CPK = creatinine phosphokinase; CRP = C-reactive protein; LDH = lactate dehydrogenase; Hb = hemoglobin; NS = not significant.

^†Included diabetes mellitus (four patients), seizures (one patient), rheumatoid arthritis (one patient), hepatitis B infection (one patient), congestive heart failure (one patient), and bacteremia (one patient).

^‡Included two patients with hypertension.

^§p < 0.05 was considered to be significant.