Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the enrolled patients.
| Demographics | Total (N = 1196) | Outpatients, N = 262 | Inpatients, N = 934 | P value | Mild*, N = 915 | Severe, N = 281 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age in month (range) | 18.68 (2.40–118.20) | 20.62 (4.07–111.13) | 18.13 (2.40–118.20) | 0.008 | 17.77 (2.40–111.13) | 21.50 (4.07–118.20) | <0.001^ |
| male/female | 746/450 | 170/92 | 576/358 | 0.345 | 564/351 | 182/99 | 0.361 |
| HCMC origin (n, %) | 568 (47.5) | 162 (61.8) | 406 (43.5) | <0.001 | 448 (49.0) | 120 (42.7) | 0.076 |
| Day from onset to enrolment | 1 (0–10) | 1 (0–3) | 1 (0–10) | 0.167 | 1 (0–10) | 2 (0–7) | <0.001^ |
| Length of stay in the hospitals (days) | 4 (1–31) | - | 4 (1–31) | - | 3 (1–31) | 5 (1–26) | <0.001^ |
| Environmental factors | |||||||
| Attend day care centers or school (n, %) | 276 (23.1) | 97 (37.0) | 179 (19.2) | <0.001 | 206 (22.5) | 70 (24.9) | 0.404 |
| Number of siblings (median, range) | 1 (0–13) | 1 (0–6) | 0 (0–13) | 0.002^ | 1 (0–6) | 0 (0–13) | 0.265^ |
| Exposure to HFMD patients (n, %) | 150 (12.5) | 52 (19.8) | 98 (10.5) | <0.001 | 100 (10.9) | 50 (18.0) | 0.002 |
| Clinical features (n, %) | |||||||
| Mouth ulcers | 1062 (88.8) | 214 (81.7) | 848 (90.8) | <0.001 | 819 (89.5) | 243 (86.5) | 0.159 |
| Fever | 936 (78.3) | 110 (42.0) | 826 (88.4) | <0.001 | 660 (72.1) | 276 (98.2) | <0.001 |
| Skin lesions | 1034 (86.5) | 234 (89.3) | 800 (85.7) | 0.126 | 777 (84.9) | 257 (91.5) | 0.005 |
| vesicles | 313 (26.2) | 73 (27.9) | 240 (25.7) | 0.481 | 215 (23.5) | 98 (34.9) | <0.001 |
| papular | 373 (31.2) | 109 (41.6) | 264 (28.3) | <0.001 | 308 (33.7) | 65 (23.1) | 0.001 |
| mix | 348 (29.1) | 52 (19.8) | 296 (31.7) | <0.001 | 254 (27.8) | 94 (33.5) | 0.066 |
| Cough | 291 (24.3) | 82 (31.3) | 209 (22.4) | 0.003 | 228 (24.9) | 63 (22.4) | 0.393 |
| Runny nose | 237 (19.8) | 78 (29.8) | 159 (17.0) | <0.001 | 186 (20.4) | 51 (18.1) | 0.493 |
| Diarrhea | 117 (9.8) | 10 (3.8) | 107 (11.5) | <0.001 | 85 (9.3) | 32 (11.4) | 0.308 |
| Drowsiness | 263 (22.0) | 19 (7.3) | 244 (26.1) | <0.001 | 116 (12.7) | 147 (52.3) | <0.001 |
| Sweating | 17 (1.4) | 2 (0.7) | 15 (1.6) | 0.391 | 6 (0.7) | 11 (3.9) | <0.001 |
| Vomiting | 525 (43.9) | 61 (23.3) | 464 (49.7) | <0.001 | 349 (38.1) | 176 (62.6) | <0.001 |
| Irritability | 357 (29.8) | 12 (4.6) | 345 (36.9) | <0.001 | 184 (20.1) | 173 (61.6) | <0.001 |
| Myoclonus | 568 (47.5) | 0 | 568 (60.8) | <0.001 | 323 (36.0) | 245 (87.2) | <0.001 |
| Lethargy | 27 (2.3) | 3 (1.1) | 24 (2.6) | 0.239 | 7 (0.8) | 20 (7.1) | <0.001 |
| Tremor | 111 (9.3) | 2 (0.8) | 109 (11.7) | <0.001 | 9 (1.0) | 102 (36.3) | <0.001 |
| Ataxia | 3 (0.3) | 0 | 3 (0.3) | 1* | 0 | 3 (1.1) | 0.013* |
| Nystagmus | 1 (0.1) | 0 | 1 (0.1) | 1* | 0 | 1 (0.4) | 0.235* |
| Limb weakness | 11 (0.9) | 0 | 11 (1.2) | 0.135* | 0 | 11 (3.9) | <0.001* |
| Hypertension | 69 (5.8) | 0 | 69 (7.4) | <0.001* | 0 | 69 (24.6) | <0.001* |
| Results of blood tests, median (range) | |||||||
| White blood cell (x1000) | 12.3 (2.5–76.0) | 11.3 (5.6–26.9) | 12.6 (2.5–76.0) | 0.001 | 12.2 (3.9–64) | 12.4 (2.5–76.0) | 0.559^ |
| Platelet (x1000) | 321 (29–849) | 325 (29–741) | 321 (31–849) | 0.421 | 314 (29–788) | 347 (38–849) | <0.001^ |
| Blood glucose (mg/L) | 101 (42–223) | 121 (42–212) | 96 (42–223) | <0.001 | 102 (42–223) | 98 (42–176) | 0.028^ |
| C reactive protein (mg/L) | 9.8 (0–620) | 7.8 (0–79) | 11.0 (0–620) | 0.025 | 12.0 (0–620) | 3.6 (0–87.5) | <0.001^ |
| Highest grade (n, %) | |||||||
| 1 | 251 (21.0) | 249 (95.0) | 2 (0.2) | <0.001 | 257 (27.8) | NA | NA |
| 2A | 664 (55.5) | 13 (5.0) | 651 (69.7) | <0.001 | 668 (72.2) | NA | NA |
| 2B1 | 71 (5.9) | NA | 71 (7.6) | <0.001 | NA | 71 (25.3) | NA |
| 2B2 | 68 (5.7) | NA | 68 (7.3) | <0.001 | NA | 68 (24.2) | NA |
| 3 | 136 (11.4) | NA | 136 (14.6) | <0.001 | NA | 136 (48.4) | NA |
| 4 | 6 (0.5) | NA | 6 (0.6) | 0.349 | NA | 6 (2.1) | NA |
| Treatment (n, %) | |||||||
| Milrinon | 69 (5.8) | 0 | 69 (7.4) | <0.001* | 0 | 69 (5.8) | <0.001* |
| Magnesium sulfate | 1 (0.1) | 0 | 1 (0.1) | 1* | 0 | 1 (0.4) | 0.235* |
| IVIg | 215 (18.0) | 0 | 215 (23.0) | <0.001* | 0 | 215 (76.5) | <0.001* |
| Outcome (n, %) | |||||||
| Full recovery | 1181 (98.7) | 262 (100) | 919 (98.4) | 0.052 | 913 (99.8) | 268 (95.4) | <0.001 |
| Recovery with complication or underlying diseases# | 12 (1.0) | 0 | 12 (1.3) | 0.08 | 2 (0.2) | 10 (3.6) | <0.001 |
| Death | 3 (0.25) | 0 | 3 (0.3) | 1 | 0 | 3 (1.1) | 0.013 |
(^): Mann- Whitney U test
(*): Fisher-exact test; other binary variables: Chi-square test
Notes to Table 1: *: grade 1 and 2A, #limb weakness and squint-eyed (n = 2), limb weakness (n = 5), “slow communication” (n = 1), cranial nerve VII paralysis (n = 1), unconsciousness (n = 1), Guillain Barre syndrome (n = 1), prolonged fever and paralyzed diaphragm (n = 1), severe anemia (n = 2) and subacute encephalitis (n = 1), NA: nonapplicable