Table 1. Clinical characteristics of the cohort according to treatment with MP.
| VARIABLE | Overall (n = 242) | Week-2-MP (n = 61) | No week-2-MP (n = 181) | p-value1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (sd) | 64.4 (14.3) | 65.0 (12.1) | 64.2 (15.0) | 0.702 |
| Male n (%) |
150 (62.0) | 40 (65.6) | 110 (60.8) | 0.504 |
| Follow-up* (days), mean (sd) | 17.9 (7.3) | 20.7 (6.0) | 17.0 (7.5) | 0.0007 |
| Diabetes mellitus n (%) |
51 (21.1) | 9 (14.8) | 42 (23.2) | 0.162 |
| Overweight n (%) |
49 (20.3) | 10 (16.4) | 39 (21.6) | 0.386 |
| Hypertension n (%) |
117 (48.4) | 33 (54.1) | 84 (46.4) | 0.299 |
| Chronic bronchopathy n (%) |
62 (25.6) | 14 (23.0) | 48 (26.5) | 0.581 |
| Active cancer n (%) |
26 (10.7) | 7 (11.5) | 19 (10.5) | 0.831 |
| Neurodegenerative disease n (%) |
9 (3.7) | 3 (4.9) | 6 (3.3) | 0.567 |
| Autoimmune disease n (%) |
9 (3.7) | 3 (4.9) | 6 (3.3) | 0.567 |
| Immunosuppressive therapy n (%) |
21 (8.7) | 5 (8.2) | 16 (8.8) | 0.877 |
| CURB65, high risk n. (%) | 19 (7.9) | 5 (8.2) | 14 (7.7) | 0.461 |
| Time of symptoms to admission (days) mean (sd) | 6.6 (3.2) | 7.4 (2.8) | 6.3 (3.2) | 0.021 |
| Lymphocytes (count/mm3) median (iqr) | 800 (580) | 680 (480) | 815 (575) | 0.118 |
| Platelets (count/mm3) median (iqr) | 212,000 (144,000) | 208,000 (156,000) | 213,000 (135,500) | 0.703 |
| Ferritin (mg/dl) median (iqr) | 543 (807) | 824 (919) | 481 (723) | <0.001 |
| D-dimers (ng/ml), Median (iqr) | 500 (1,171) | 540 (870) | 470 (1,171) | 0.224 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/dl) median (iqr) |
79.5 (112.8) | 112.3 (89.8) | 73.4 (99.9) | 0.024 |
| SpO2/FiO2, median (iqr) | 380 (160.0) | 332 (201.0) | 438 (125.0) | <0.001 |
| SpO2/FiO2 < 353 n (%) |
117 (48.3) | 41 (67.2) | 76 (42.0) | 0.001 |
| Hydroxychloroquine n (%) | 224 (92.9) | 61 (100) | 163 (90.5) | 0.013 |
| Days on hydroxychloroquine mean (sd) | 6.25 (2.6) | 6.8 (2.6) | 6.1 (2.6) | 0.24 |
| Lopinavir/ritonavir n (%) |
218 (90) | 58 (95) | 160 (88) | 0.13 |
| Betaferon n (%) |
13 (5.3) | 1 (1.6) | 12 (6.6) | 0.13 |
| LMWH n (%) |
225 (92.9) | 60 (98.3) | 165 (91.26) | 0.057 |
Week-2-MP: methyl-prednisolone pulses in week 2; LMWH: low molecular weight heparin; sd: standard deviation; iqr: interquartile range.
* From disease onset to death, discharge or end of the study period.