Table 2.
Comparisons of characteristics between patients treated with and without corticosteroid in nonsevere coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
| Variables | Overall (N=368) |
Corticosteroid group (N=64) |
Noncorticosteroid group (N=304) |
P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline characteristics | ||||
| Age (years) | 42.0 (33.0–51.0) | 49.5 (39.0–61.0) | 41.0 (32.0–50.0) | 0.001 |
| Sex, male | 180 (48.9) | 34 (53.1) | 146 (48.0) | 0.458 |
| Any comorbidity | 79 (21.5) | 19 (29.7) | 60 (19.7) | 0.078 |
| Hypertension | 44 (12.0) | 12 (18.8) | 32 (10.5) | 0.065 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 27 (7.3) | 6 (9.4) | 21 (6.9) | 0.671 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 12 (3.3) | 5 (7.8) | 7 (2.3) | 0.062 |
| Chronic liver disease | 8 (2.2) | 2 (3.1) | 6 (2.0) | 0.918 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 6 (1.6) | 5 (7.8) | 1 (0.3) | <0.001 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 4 (1.1) | 2 (3.1) | 2 (0.7) | 0.141 |
| Malignancy | 3 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 3 (1.0) | 1.000 |
| Rheumatic disease | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.3) | 1.000 |
| Signs and symptoms at admission | ||||
| Fever | 269 (73.1) | 54 (84.4) | 215 (70.7) | 0.025 |
| Cough | 267 (72.6) | 50 (78.1) | 217 (71.4) | 0.272 |
| Expectoration | 150 (40.8) | 27 (42.2) | 123 (40.5) | 0.798 |
| Dyspnea | 31 (8.4) | 6 (9.4) | 25 (8.2) | 0.763 |
| Temperature, ℃ | 36.9 (36.5–37.3) | 36.9 (36.5–37.6) | 36.9 (36.5–37.3) | 0.516 |
| Respiratory rate, breaths/min | 20.0 (20.0–20.0) | 20.0 (20.0–20.3) | 20.0 (20.0–20.0) | 0.054 |
| Laboratory findings at admission | ||||
| Arterial blood pH | 7.460 (7.430–7.490) | 7.475 (7.445–7.505) | 7.460 (7.428–7.487) | 0.033 |
| Arterial blood PaO2, mm Hg | 92.2 (78.8–115.3) | 79.5 (68.1–95.4) | 94.3 (82.0–120.0) | <0.001 |
| White blood cell count, *109/L | 4.63 (3.58–5.71) | 4.59 (3.55–5.95) | 4.64 (3.58–5.68) | 0.932 |
| Neutrophil count, *109/L | 2.84 (2.15–3.69) | 3.03 (2.38–3.93) | 2.80 (2.13–3.61) | 0.082 |
| Lymphocyte count, *109/L | 1.17 (0.86–1.60) | 0.95 (0.73–1.26) | 1.21 (0.89–1.65) | <0.001 |
| Serum lactate dehydrogenase, IU/L | 171.8 (142.8–209.0) | 182.0 (149.1–242.0) | 170.8 (141.9–206.0) | 0.047 |
| Chest radiography at admission | ||||
| Normal | 29 (7.9) | 3 (4.7) | 26 (8.6) | 0.297 |
| Unilateral lesion | 85 (23.1) | 2 (3.1) | 83 (27.3) | <0.001 |
| Bilateral lesion | 254 (69.0) | 59 (92.2) | 195 (64.1) | <0.001 |
| Treatments | ||||
| Antiviral therapy | 365 (99.2) | 64 (100.0) | 301 (99.0) | 1.000 |
| Interferon | 231 (62.8) | 36 (56.3) | 195 (64.1) | 0.235 |
| Lopinavir/Ritonavir | 283 (76.9) | 47 (73.4) | 236 (77.6) | 0.469 |
| Arbidol | 217 (59.0) | 42 (65.6) | 175 (57.6) | 0.234 |
| Ribavirin | 18 (4.9) | 5 (7.8) | 13 (4.3) | 0.383 |
| Chloroquine phosphate | 39 (10.6) | 9 (14.1) | 30 (9.9) | 0.322 |
| Antibiotic therapy | 154 (41.8) | 51 (79.7) | 103 (33.9) | <0.001 |
| Quinolones | 137 (37.2) | 45 (70.3) | 92 (30.3) | <0.001 |
| Cephalosporins | 10 (2.7) | 3 (4.7) | 7 (2.3) | 0.520 |
| Carbapenems | 1 (0.3) | 1 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 0.174 |
| Macrolides | 3 (0.8) | 1 (1.6) | 2 (0.7) | 0.437 |
| Penicillins | 11 (3.0) | 6 (9.4) | 5 (1.6) | 0.004 |
| Linezolid | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Polymyxin | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Teicoplanin | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Antifungal therapy | 1 (0.3) | 1 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 0.174 |
| Voriconazole | 1 (0.3) | 1 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 0.174 |
| Noninvasive mechanical ventilation | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| ECMO | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| CRRT | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
Values are presented as median (IQR) or number (percentage); p values were compared by Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, or Mann-Whitney U test.
ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; CRRT, continuous renal replacement therapy; NA, not available.