Table 3.
Changes of laboratory and radiological characteristics in 28 corticosteroid-treated patients.
| Patients with paired data, No. | At the time of admission | At the time of initiation of corticosteroids | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood laboratory fingdings | ||||
| White blood cell count, × 109 /L | 27 | 4.06 (3.57–5.19) | 4.14 (3.43–5.04) | 0.286 |
| <4 | 27 | 13/27 (48.1%) | 13/27 (48.1%) | 1.000 |
| Lymphocyte count, × 109 /L | 27 | 1.01 (0.74–1.43) | 0.97 (0.64–1.28) | 0.523 |
| <0·8 | 27 | 10 (37.0%) | 11 (40.7%) | 1.000 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase, IU/L | 26 | 226 (189–291) | 233 (223–337) | 0.134 |
| >245 | 26 | 10 (38.4%) | 10 (38.4%) | 1.000 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/l | 26 | 10.7 (4.4–36.6) | 18.8 (9.7–51.7) | 0.007 |
| >10 | 26 | 12 (46.1%) | 19 (73.1) | 0.063 |
| Microbiological data | ||||
| Viral load (Ct value)a | 28 | 30 (25.3–33.8) | 31.5 (28.0–35.0) | 0.082 |
| Virus clearance | 28 | 0 (0%) | 2 (7.1%) | 0.500 |
| Radiological features | ||||
| Bilateral pulmonary infiltration | 26 | 19 (73.1%) | 25 (96.2%) | 0.031 |
| Multiple lobes involvement | 26 | 20(76.9%) | 26 (100.0%) | 0.013 |
| All lobes involvement | 26 | 12 (46.2%) | 13 (50.0%) | 1.000 |
| CT score | 26 | 5.5 (3.3–8.0) | 8.0 (5.3–11) | <0.001 |
Data were expressed as median (IQR) or n (%). Comparison between groups was done using Wilcoxon signed-rank test or McNemar test, as appropriate.
a
the cycle threshold (ct) value from quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to relatively represent the viral load of SARS-COV-2.