Table 2.
Comparison of clincial and laboratory characteristics of RSV and FLU patients receiving antibiotics (AB+) to those not receiving antibiotics (AB-); median and interquartile range are indicated for continuous variables
| Variables | RSV AB+ |
RSV AB- |
p-values | FLU AB+ |
FLU AB- |
p-values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | 136/476 (28.6%) | 340/476 (71.4%) | 21/95 (22.1%) | 74/95 (77.9%) | ||
| Male | 76/136 (55.1%) | 193/340 (56.8%) | ns | 11/21 (52.4%) | 44/74 (59.5%) | ns |
| Age, months | 6 (2–12) | 3 (2–7) | 0.0025 | 14 (9–18) | 11 (5–17.8) | ns |
| Duration of illness, days | 4 (2–5) | 3 (2–5) | ns | 3 (2–5.3) | 2 (2–4) | ns |
| Fever (≥38.0 °C) | 124/136 (91.2%) | 206/340 (60.6%) | < 0.0001 | 20/21 (95.2%) | 73/74 (98.6%) | ns |
| Body temperature on admission, °C | 38.0 (37.4–38.8) | 37.4 (37.0–38.1) | < 0.0001 | 38.2 (37.7–39-4) | 38.4 (37.4–39.3) | ns |
| Peak body temperature, °C | 39.2 (38.8–39.8) | 38.2 (37.5–39.2) | < 0.0001 | 40.0 (39.4–40.1) | 39.8 (39.1–40.0) | ns |
| Oxygen saturation at admission, % | 96 (93–98) | 97 (95–98) | 0.0019 | 97 (93.3–98.3) | 98 (97–100) | ns |
| Minimal oxygen saturation, % | 89 (88–92) | 91 (88–95) | < 0.0001 | 90 (87.8–95.3) | 96 (95–98) | ns |
| Need for intensive care | 13/136 (9.6%) | 3/340 (0.9%) | < 0.0001 | 1/21 (4.8%) | 0/74 | ns |
| Length of stay, days | 6 (5–8.3) | 5 (3–7) | < 0.0001 | 6 (5–8.5) | 5 (3–7) | 0.0003 |
| Blood culture obtained | 71/136 (52.2%) | 94/340 (27.6%) | < 0.0001 | 12/21 (57.1%) | 42/74 (56.8%) | ns |
| CRP on admission, mg/L | 26.9 (9.7–51.2) | 4.3 (0–10.6) | < 0.0001 | 23.1 (5.9–58.4) | 4.9 (0–13.0) | < 0.0001 |
| Peak CRP, mg/L | 40.5 (19.2–61.5) | 7.9 (4.5–14.4) | < 0.0001 | 54.9 (11.7–76.8) | 9.4 (4.2–14.2) | < 0.0001 |
| WBC on admission, 109/L | 11.6 (8.5–15.2) | 10.5 (8.5–12.7) | ns | 9.9 (7.6–12.0) | 10.9 (7.1–13.7) | ns |
| Chest radiography performed | 82/136 (60.3%) | 53/340 (15.6%) | < 0.0001 | 11/21 (52.4%) | 7/74 (9.5%) | < 0.0001 |
| Infiltrate on chest radiogram | 48/82 (58.5%) | 24/53 (45.3%) | ns | 8/11 (72.7%) | 5/7 (71.4%) | ns |
| Preexisting antibiotic therapy | 19/136 (14.0%) | 13/340 (3.8%) | 0.0002 | 6/21 (13.7%) | 8/74 (3.9%) | ns |
| Well appearance | 1/136 (0.7%) | 31/340 (9.1%) | 0.0004 | 2/21 (9.5%) | 4/74 (5.4%) | ns |
| Ill appearance | 60/136 (44.1%) | 185/340 (54.4%) | 0.0536 | 12/21 (57.1%) | 50/74 (67.6%) | ns |
| Septic appearance | 66/136 (48.5%) | 102/340 (30%) | 0.0002 | 6/21 (28.6%) | 17/74 (23.0%) | ns |
| Acute otitis media | 36/136 (26.5%) | 34/340 (10%) | < 0.0001 | 12/21 (57.1%) | 21/74 (28.4%) | 0.0199 |
| Upper respiratory tract infection | 0/136 (0%) | 0/340 (0%) | ns | 5/21 (23.8%) | 42/74 (56.8%) | 0.0123 |
| Bronchitis/Bronchiolitis | 31/136 (22.5%) | 207/340 (60.9%) | < 0.0001 | 1/21 (4.8%) | 5/74 (6.8%) | ns |
| Pneumonia | 106/136 (76.8%) | 133/340 (39.1%) | < 0.0001 | 11/21 (52.4%) | 10/74 (13.5%) | 0.0005 |
| Fever of unknown origin | 0/136 (0%) | 0/340 (0%) | ns | 4/21 (19.0%) | 17/74 (23.0%) | ns |
| Oxygen therapy | 109/136 (80.1%) | 204/340 (60%) | < 0.0001 | 12/21 (57.1%) | 11/74 (14.9%) | 0.0002 |
| Length of oxygen therapy, days | 3 (2–6) | 2 (0–4) | < 0.0001 | 1 (0–6) | 0 | 0.0002 |