Table 1.
Baseline characteristics on the day of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcome of severe COVID-19 patients a
| Characteristic | Control group (n = 71) | Ribavirin group (n = 44) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 55.1 ± 16.2 | 54.6 ± 13.3 | 0.862 |
| Sex | 0.069 | ||
| Male | 43 (60.6) | 19 (43.2) | |
| Female | 28 (39.4) | 25 (56.8) | |
| Temperature (°C) | 38.7 ± 0.6 | 38.8 ± 0.6 | 0.302 |
| Cough | 0.583 | ||
| No | 44 (62.0) | 25 (56.8) | |
| Yes | 27 (38.0) | 19 (43.2) | |
| Pharyngalgia | 0.935 | ||
| No | 68 (95.8) | 42 (95.5) | |
| Yes | 3 (4.2) | 2 (4.5) | |
| Dyspnoea b | 0.961 | ||
| No | 60 (85.7) | 37 (86.0) | |
| Yes | 10 (14.3) | 6 (14.0) | |
| Fever b | 0.231 | ||
| No | 2 (3.3) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Yes | 59 (96.7) | 43 (100.0) | |
| Lymphocyte count (× 109/L) | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 1.0 ± 0.6 | 0.592 |
| Leukocyte count (× 109/L) | 4.9 ± 3.8 | 3.8 ± 2.6 | 0.113 |
| Haemoglobin (g/L) | 127.6 ± 18.7 | 122.0 ± 17.2 | 0.119 |
| Platelet count (× 109/L) | 197.3 ± 88.8 | 188.9 ± 75.9 | 0.611 |
| Prothrombin time (s) | 13.5 ± 1.3 | 14.0 ± 2.1 | 0.140 |
| aPTT (s) | 41.1 ± 11.5 | 39.8 ± 6.5 | 0.503 |
| Procalcitonin (μg/L) | 0.2 ± 0.3 | 0.3 ± 0.5 | 0.324 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L) | 67.4 ± 49.1 | 65.4 ± 61.6 | 0.853 |
| ESR (mm/h) | 47.8 ± 32.7 | 48.3 ± 25.6 | 0.934 |
| Serum creatinine (μmol/L) | 75.5 ± 27.9 | 69.3 ± 19.4 | 0.213 |
| BUN (mmol/L) | 5.2 ± 3.1 | 4.3 ± 2.8 | 0.132 |
| Glomerular filtration rate () | 93.1 ± 25.9 | 94.6 ± 18.1 | 0.733 |
| ALT (U/L) | 41.6 ± 38.5 | 32.6 ± 18.3 | 0.159 |
| AST (U/L) | 41.7 ± 21.1 | 37.4 ± 18.9 | 0.289 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (U/L) | 377.4 ± 166.6 | 381.9 ± 160.2 | 0.901 |
| CT imaging findings b | 0.804 | ||
| No lesion | 2 (2.9) | 1 (2.4) | |
| Ground-glass opacity | 53 (77.9) | 30 (73.2) | |
| Consolidative pulmonary opacities | 13 (19.1) | 10 (24.4) | |
| No. of infected lung lobes b | 0.509 | ||
| 0 | 2 (3.3) | 1 (3.2) | |
| 1 | 6 (9.8) | 1 (3.2) | |
| 2 | 8 (13.1) | 3 (9.7) | |
| 3 | 4 (6.6) | 0 (0.0) | |
| 4 | 4 (6.6) | 2 (6.5) | |
| 5 | 37 (60.7) | 24 (77.4) | |
| Smoking history | 0.906 | ||
| Never smoked | 65 (91.5) | 40 (90.9) | |
| Smokes or previously smoked | 6 (8.5) | 4 (9.1) | |
| Drinking history | 0.892 | ||
| Never drinks | 64 (90.1) | 40 (90.9) | |
| Drinks or previously drank | 7 (9.9) | 4 (9.1) | |
| Hypertension | 0.238 | ||
| No | 55 (77.5) | 38 (86.4) | |
| Yes | 16 (22.5) | 6 (13.6) | |
| Cardiovascular disease | 0.072 | ||
| No | 66 (93.0) | 44 (100.0) | |
| Yes | 5 (7.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 0.946 | ||
| No | 61 (85.9) | 38 (86.4) | |
| Yes | 10 (14.1) | 6 (13.6) | |
| Cancer | 0.424 | ||
| No | 65 (91.5) | 42 (95.5) | |
| Yes | 6 (8.5) | 2 (4.5) | |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 0.730 | ||
| No | 70 (98.6) | 43 (97.7) | |
| Yes | 1 (1.4) | 1 (2.3) | |
| Negative conversion time for SARS-CoV-2 test (days) | 14.1 ± 3.5 | 12.8 ± 4.1 | 0.314 |
| Deathc | 0.475 | ||
| No | 52 (75.4) | 34 (82.9) | |
| Yes | 17 (24.6) | 7 (17.1) | |
SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; aPTT, activated partial thromboplastin time; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; CT, computed tomography.
a
Data are presented as the n (%) or mean ± standard deviation.
b
There were missing data for dyspnoea, fever, CT imaging findings and number of infected lung lobes.
c
Two participants in the control group and three participants in the treatment group were still receiving treatment in hospital at the end of the study.