Table 1.
Comparison of demographics, symptoms, laboratory values and outcome by prescription of ribavirin
| Variable | Non‐ribavirin (%, n = 132) | Ribavirin (%, n = 97) | P‐value§ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (male) | 51 (38.6) | 22 (22.7) | 0.014¶ |
| Race | |||
| Chinese | 85 (64.4) | 63 (65.0) | >0.999¶ |
| Others | 47 (35.6) | 34 (35.0) | |
| Mean age in years (SD) | 42.6 (17.7) | 34.4 (14.3) | <0.001 |
| Symptoms | |||
| Fever | 118 (89.4) | 92 (94.9) | 0.155¶ |
| Myalgia | 34 (25.8) | 52 (53.6) | <0.001¶ |
| Cough | 45 (34.1) | 44 (45.4) | 0.100¶ |
| Shortness of breath | 19 (14.4) | 11 (11.3) | 0.556¶ |
| Mean day of illness on admission (SD) | 3.99 (3.73) | 3.53 (2.39) | 0.284¶ |
| Number (%) with positive serology at follow‐up | 129 (97.8) | 97 (100) | 0.264¶ |
| Signs and laboratory values (mean and SD) | |||
| On admission | |||
| Temperature | 38.4 (0.9) | 38.6 (0.8) | 0.082 |
| Lowest SaO2 (%) | 97.1 (2.5) | 97.5 (1.7) | 0.110 |
| Highest FiO2 | 0.28 (0.20) | 0.25 (0.16) | 0.309 |
| On start of ribavirin* | |||
| TWC (×109/l) | 5.1 (2.8) | 5.3 (2.6) | 0.661 |
| Neutrophil (%) | 67.3 (14.4) | 69.0 (13.2) | 0.420 |
| Lymphocyte (%) | 24.1 (12.2) | 21.1 (11.0) | 0.066 |
| LDH (U/l) | 621.2 (362.8) | 597.8 (345.0) | 0.635 |
| No (%) with FiO2≥30% | 8/105 (7.6) | 3/78 (3.9) | 0.358¶ |
| SaO2 (%) | 96.0 (9.7) | 96.7 (2.1) | 0.480 |
| Mean days from illness to X‐ray change (SD) | 5.4 (3.8) | 4.8 (4.4) | 0.302 |
| Concurrent use of steroids | 17/98 (17.4) | 21/97 (21.7) | 0.475¶ |
| Concurrent use of antibiotics | 94/98 (95.9) | 84/97 (86.6) | 0.024¶ |
| Complications | |||
| Myocardial injury† | 4 (3.0) | 3 (3.1) | >0.999¶ |
| Anaemia‡ | 27 (20.5) | 24 (24.7) | 0.521¶ |
| Outcome | |||
| Number of dead (%) | 17 (12.9) | 10 (10.3) | 0.679¶ |
| Number of ever admitted to ICU (%) | 27 (20.5) | 19 (19.6) | >0.999¶ |
| Mean day of illness to start of ribavirin (SD) | NA | 6.4 (2.8) | NA |
| Mean cumulative dose in mg (SD) | NA | 13592 (8147) | NA |
| Mean days on ribavirin (SD) | NA | 5.6 (2.5) | NA |
TW, total white; PLT, platelets; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; FiO2, oxygen expressed as a fraction of the inspired air; SaO2, saturation of oxygen; ICU, intensive care unit; NA, not available.
* Parameters taken on start of treatment for those on ribavirin, and day 6 for the control group. When results were not available, day 5 or 7 parameters were used instead.
† Myocardial injury was defined as serially elevated creatinine kinase (creatinine kinase that was progressively rising) with electrocardiogram changes (development of elevated ST segment or Q waves) from admission till day 14 of illness.
‡ Anaemia was defined as a fall in more than 2 g/dl of haemoglobin from admission till day 14 of illness.
§ All P‐values from Student's t‐test unless otherwise indicated.
¶ P‐values from Fisher's exact test.