Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with COVID-19, before propensity-score matching *.
| Total, No. (%) | Progression, No. (%) | Improvement/Stabilization, No. (%) | p | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 293) | (n = 36) | (n = 257) | Value | ||
| Age, median (IQR) | 29 (24–47) | 49.5 (34–57) | 27 (23–46) | <0.001 | |
| Male sex | 214 (73.0%) | 24 (66.7%) | 190 (73.9%) | 0.472 | |
| Healthcare-associated infection | 6 (2.0%) | 3 (8.3%) | 3 (1.2%) | 0.027 | |
| ECOG performance status | <0.001 | ||||
| 0 | 279 (95.2%) | 28 (77.8%) | 251 (97.7%) | ||
| 1 | 12 (4.1%) | 8 (22.2%) | 4 (1.6%) | ||
| 2 | 2 (0.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.8%) | ||
| Time from disease confirmation to admission, median (IQR), days | 5.0 (3.0–6.0) | 4.0 (3.0–6.0) | 5.0 (3.0–6.0) | 0.712 | |
| Time from symptom onset to admission, median (IQR), days | 6.0 (0.0–12.0) | 8.0 (3.0–10.5) | 5.0 (0.0–12.0) | 0.156 | |
| Time from symptom onset to confirmation, median (IQR), days | 1.0 (0.0–6.0) | 3.0 (0.0–6.0) | 1.0 (0.0–5.0) | 0.198 | |
| Time from admission to discharge, median (IQR), days | 18.0 (15.0–20.0) | 18.0 (14.0–20.0) | 18.0 (15.5–21.0) | 0.568 | |
| Symptom duration, median (IQR), days | 7.0 (0.0–15.0) | 12.0 (10.0–20.0) | 6.0 (0.0–15.0) | <0.001 | |
| Initial symptoms (may be multiple) | |||||
| Asymptomatic | 97 (33.1%) | 3 (8.3%) | 94 (36.6%) | 0.001 | |
| Productive cough | 83 (28.3%) | 15 (41.7%) | 68 (26.5%) | 0.089 | |
| Fever | 75 (25.6%) | 20 (55.6%) | 55 (21.4%) | <0.001 | |
| Cough | 69 (23.5%) | 4 (11.1%) | 65 (25.3%) | 0.095 | |
| Headache | 61 (20.8%) | 16 (44.4%) | 45 (17.5%) | <0.001 | |
| Myalgia or fatigue | 60 (20.5%) | 14 (38.9%) | 46 (17.9%) | 0.007 | |
| Chills | 54 (18.4%) | 19 (52.8%) | 35 (13.6%) | <0.001 | |
| Sore throat | 42 (14.3%) | 7 (19.4%) | 35 (13.6%) | 0.496 | |
| Rhinorrhea | 36 (12.3%) | 4 (11.1%) | 32 (12.5%) | >0.999 | |
| Dyspnea | 22 (7.5%) | 10 (27.8%) | 12 (4.7%) | <0.001 | |
| Diarrhea | 19 (6.5%) | 7 (19.4%) | 12 (4.7%) | 0.003 | |
| Nausea or vomiting | 9 (3.1%) | 3 (8.3%) | 6 (2.3%) | 0.150 | |
| Chest pain | 9 (3.1%) | 4 (11.1%) | 5 (1.9%) | 0.014 | |
| Other | 8 (2.7%) | 1 (2.8%) | 7 (2.7%) | >0.999 | |
| Initial signs (may be multiple) | |||||
| Body temperature, median (IQR), °C | 36.7 (36.5–37.0) | 37.3 (36.5–37.7) | 36.7 (36.5–37.0) | <0.001 | |
| Systolic blood pressure, median (IQR), mm Hg | 133.0 (121.0–141.0) | 135.5 (121.5–146.0) | 132.0 (121.0–141.0) | 0.335 | |
| Diastolic blood pressure, median (IQR), mm Hg | 79.0 (72.0–85.0) | 82.0 (75.5–90.5) | 78.0 (72.0–84.0) | 0.015 | |
| Pulse rate, median (IQR), beats/min | 86.0 (76.0–96.0) | 90.0 (79.0–102.5) | 85.0 (75.0–95.0) | 0.010 | |
| Respiratory rate, median (IQR), breaths/min | 16.0 (16.0–18.0) | 16.0 (16.0–18.0) | 16.0 (16.0–18.0) | 0.105 | |
| SpO2, median (IQR), % | 98.0 (98.0–99.0) | 98.0 (97.0–99.0) | 98.0 (98.0–99.0) | 0.023 | |
| Comorbidities (may be multiple) | |||||
| Hypertension | 29 (9.9%) | 9 (25.0%) | 20 (7.8%) | 0.003 | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 (7.2%) | 10 (27.8%) | 11 (4.3%) | <0.001 | |
| Allergic disease | 38 (13.0%) | 1 (2.8%) | 37 (14.4%) | 0.093 | |
| Chronic lung disease | 17 (5.8%) | 3 (8.3%) | 14 (5.4%) | 0.754 | |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 13 (4.4%) | 1 (2.8%) | 12 (4.7%) | 0.933 | |
| Malignant tumor(s) | 7 (2.4%) | 0 (0.0%) | 7 (2.7%) | 0.675 | |
| Liver disease | 5 (1.7%) | 1 (2.8%) | 4 (1.6%) | >0.999 | |
| Congestive heart failure | 6 (2.0%) | 2 (5.6%) | 4 (1.6%) | 0.338 | |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 5 (1.7%) | 2 (5.6%) | 3 (1.2%) | 0.224 | |
| Rheumatic disease | 2 (0.7%) | 1 (2.8%) | 1 (0.4%) | 0.583 | |
| Acute myocardial infarction | 1 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.4%) | >0.999 | |
| Kidney disease | 1 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.4%) | >0.999 | |
| Prior history of drug use | |||||
| Ibuprofen | 21 (7.2%) | 6 (16.7%) | 15 (5.8%) | 0.044 | |
| Angiotensin II receptor blockers | 16 (5.5%) | 6 (16.7%) | 10 (3.9%) | 0.006 | |
| Calcium channel blocker | 16 (5.5%) | 5 (13.9%) | 11 (4.3%) | 0.047 | |
| Beta blocker | 9 (3.1%) | 2 (5.6%) | 7 (2.7%) | 0.684 | |
| Diuretics | 2 (0.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.8%) | >0.999 | |
| Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor | 16 (5.5%) | 8 (22.2%) | 8 (3.1%) | <0.001 | |
| Metformin | 12 (4.1%) | 6 (16.7%) | 6 (2.3%) | <0.001 | |
| Sulfonylurea | 4 (1.4%) | 2 (5.6%) | 2 (0.8%) | 0.122 | |
| Thiazolidinedione | 1 (0.3%) | 1 (2.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.250 | |
| Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor | 1 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.4%) | >0.999 | |
| Gabapentinoid | 1 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (0.4%) | >0.999 | |
| Isosorbide | 1 (0.3%) | 1 (2.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.250 | |
| Statin | 16 (5.5%) | 6 (16.7%) | 10 (3.9%) | 0.006 | |
| Number of drugs acting on the ACE2 receptor † | <0.001 | ||||
| 0 | 266 (90.8%) | 26 (72.2%) | 240 (93.4%) | ||
| 1 | 22 (7.5%) | 6 (16.7%) | 16 (6.2%) | ||
| 2 | 4 (1.4%) | 3 (8.3%) | 1 (0.4%) | ||
| 3 | 1 (0.3%) | 1 (2.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | ||
| Number of drugs acting on the ACE2 and/or DDP4 ‡ | <0.001 | ||||
| 0 | 249 (85.0%) | 22 (61.1%) | 227 (88.3%) | ||
| 1 | 36 (12.3%) | 9 (25.0%) | 27 (10.5%) | ||
| 2 | 6 (2.0%) | 3 (8.3%) | 3 (1.2%) | ||
| 3 | 2 (0.7%) | 2 (5.6%) | 0 (0.0%) | ||
| Available laboratory findings, median (IQR) | |||||
| WBC count (109/L) | n = 26 | 6.3 (5.1–8.5) | 6.0 (5.2–7.7) | 8.5 (5.8–9.0) | 0.364 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | n = 26 | 13.9 (12.6–14.9) | 14.0 (12.9–14.9) | 13.7 (11.8–15.1) | 0.644 |
| Platelet count (109/L) | n = 26 | 198.5 (156.0–295.0) | 171.0 (142.5–287.0) | 255.0 (215.5–281.0) | 0.140 |
| Neutrophil count (109/L) | n = 26 | 4.6 (3.0–6.3) | 4.6 (3.2–5.3) | 6.0 (3.4–6.8) | 0.885 |
| Lymphocyte count (109/L) | n = 26 | 1.4 (1.1–1.7) | 1.4 (1.0–1.7) | 1.5 (1.3–2.1) | 0.364 |
| Monocyte count (109/L) | n = 26 | 0.4 (0.3–0.7) | 0.4 (0.3–0.7) | 0.6 (0.3–0.6) | 0.729 |
| Eosinophil count (109/L) | n = 26 | 0.7 (0.0–0.9) | 0.3 (0.0–0.8) | 1.1 (0.8–1.8) | 0.004 |
| Activated partial thromboplastin time (sec) | n = 21 | 28.8 (27.5–32.2) | 30.0 (28.1–33.1) | 27.5 (27.1–27.6) | 0.099 |
| Prothrombin time (sec) | n = 21 | 10.6 (10.2–11.3) | 10.8 (10.4–11.4) | 10.2 (9.7–10.4) | 0.089 |
| BUN (mg/dl) | n = 26 | 10.8 (9.7–14.6) | 11.2 (10.1–14.5) | 10.2 (8.6–12.8) | 0.544 |
| Serum creatinine (ng/mL) | n = 26 | 0.9 (0.7–1.0) | 1.0 (0.8–1.1) | 0.7 (0.6–0.9) | 0.056 |
| Total protein (g/dL) | n = 26 | 6.9 (6.5–7.6) | 6.8 (6.3–7.3) | 7.5 (6.8–7.8) | 0.165 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | n = 26 | 4.0 (3.7–4.2) | 3.8 (3.4–4.1) | 4.2 (4.0–4.4) | 0.081 |
| AST (IU/L) | n = 26 | 29.5 (23.0–69.0) | 30.0 (25.5–77.0) | 24.0 (21.0–38.0) | 0.148 |
| ALT (IU/L) | n = 26 | 27.5 (17.0–52.0) | 30.0 (20.5–60.5) | 17.0 (17.0–43.0) | 0.469 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (IU/L) | n = 26 | 75.0 (64.0–94.0) | 78.0 (69.0–94.0) | 67.0 (63.5–84.5) | 0.563 |
| CRP (mg/L) | n = 26 | 3.8 (0.5–6.5) | 4.8 (1.5–7.7) | 0.5 (0.5–2.3) | 0.081 |
* IQR, interquartile range, ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status; SpO2, pulse oximeter oxygen saturation; ACE, angiotensin converting enzyme; DDP4, dipeptidyl peptidase 4; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CRP, C-reactive protein. † Includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and thiazolidinediones. ‡ Includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, angiotensin II receptor blockers, thiazolidinediones, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors.