Table 1.
Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the trial population.
| CHM plus standard care (n = 28) | Standard care (n = 14) | |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | ||
| Age,-yr | 65 (53.5–69) | 59 (47–67) |
| Age ≥65 yr, - no. (%) | 16 (57) | 5 (36) |
| Age <65 yr, -no. (%) | 12 (43) | 9 (64) |
| Sex, no. (%) | ||
| Men | 2 (7) | 4 (29) |
| Women | 25 (93) | 10 (71) |
| Current smoker, no. (%) | 0 | 0 |
| Heart rate, per min | 89 (70–92.5) | 97 (90–105) |
| Blood pressure, mm Hg | ||
| Systolic pressure, mm Hg | 129 (110–140) | 115.5 (110–119) |
| Diastolic pressure, mm Hg | 85 (74.5–90) | 80.5 (75–90) |
| Body temperature, °C | 37 (36.6–37.1) | 36.4 (36.2–37) |
| Respiratory rate >24 breaths, per min | 28 (100) | 14 (100) |
| SaO2 | 89 (86–90.5) | 89 (87–90) |
| Transfer from other hospitals-no. (%) | 2 (7.41) | 4 (28.57) |
| Onset of symptoms to hospital admission, days | 9 (6.5–11.5) | 9.5 (6–14) |
| Hospital admission to randomization, days | 1 (0.5–2) | 0.5 (0–1) |
| Any Comorbidity-no. (%) | ||
| Chronic heart disease, including congenital heart disease (except hypertension) | 8 (28.57) | 3 (21) |
| Chronic lung disease (except asthma) | 2 (7.14) | 2 (14) |
| Asthma | 1 (3.57) | 0 |
| Mild liver disease | 3 (10.71) | 2 (14) |
| Chronic nervous system diseases | 2 (7.14) | 0 |
| Malignant tumor | 0 | 1 (7.14) |
| Diabetes without complications | 1 (3.57) | 3 (21.43) |
| Hypertension | 12 (42.86) | 7 (50.00) |
| Hyperthyroidism | 0 | 1 (7.14) |
| Presenting Symptoms and Signs-no. (%) | ||
| History of fever* | 27 (96) | 9 (75) |
| Cough | 23 (82) | 12 (86) |
| Sputum | 10 (36) | 4 (29) |
| Sore throat | 1 (4) | 0 |
| Rhinorrhea | 0 | 1 (7) |
| Loss of appetite | 25 (89) | 12 (86) |
| Insomnia | 20 (71) | 10 (71) |
| Wheezing | 5 (18) | 1 (7) |
| Chest pain | 2 (7) | 1 (7) |
| Muscle pain | 8 (29) | 6 (43) |
| Arthralgia | 0 | 1 (7) |
| Fatigue | 26 (93) | 14 (100) |
| Shortness of breath (dyspnea) | 5 (18) | 5 (36) |
| Headache | 2 (7) | 1 (7) |
| Vomiting/nausea | 6 (21) | 1 (7) |
| Diarrhea | 3 (11) | 3 (21) |
| Chest x-ray and CT Findings** | ||
| Ground-glass opacity | 15 (79) | 7 (78) |
| Local patchy shadowing | 0 | 1 (11) |
| Bilateral patchy shadowing | 4 (21) | 1 (11) |
CHM= Chinese herbal medicine. Data are presented as median (IQR) unless otherwise indicated.
*
Two participants in the standard care group had no baseline record of fever.
**
Chest x-ray and CT findings (standard of care plus CHM, n = 19; standard care group, n = 9). Transfer here was considered as new admission in this trial.