Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the patients in the intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) –treated tocilizumab groups.
| IV group (n = 65) | SC group (n = 60) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 58.9 ± 17.9 | 57.2 ± 15 |
| Female, No. (%) | 27 (42%) | 15 (8%) |
| African American, No. (%) | 43 (66%) | 44 (73%) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean ± SD | 32.5 ± 10.6 | 33.0 ± 10.1 |
| Comorbidities | ||
| Diabetes, No. (%) | 25 (38%) | 29 (48%) |
| Hypertension, No. (%) | 43 (66%) | 35 (58%) |
| Renal disease, No. (%) | 8 (12%) | 7 (12%) |
| Mechanical ventilation, No. (%) | 22 (34%) | 21 (35%) |
| Cytokine release syndrome grade, mean ± SD | 3.4 ± 0.6 | 3.4 ± 0.6 |
| Duration of symptoms, days, mean ± SD (median) | 11.0 ± 9.6 (8) | 13.8 ± 7.5 (13) |
| Laboratory values | ||
| White blood cell count K/μL, mean ± SD | 13.2 ± 5.1 | 12.7 ± 6,3 |
| Absolute neutrophil count K/μL, mean ± SD | 11.1 ± 4.6 | 10.7 ± 5.6 |
| Hemoglobin g/dL, mean ± SD | 11.4 ± 2.2 | 11.7 ± 2.0 |
| Platelets K/μL, mean ± SD | 273 ± 122 | 257 ± 127 |
| Potassium mmol/L, mean ± SD | 4.4 ± 0.7 | 4.7 ± 0.9 |
| Creatinine mg/dL, mean ± SD | 2.1 ± 2.6 | 2.7 ± 3.7 |
| Alanine aminotransferase U/L, mean ± SD | 53.7 ± 87.9 | 71.2 ± 91.8 |
| C-reactive protein mg/L, mean ± SD | 194 ± 97 | 209 ± 155 |
| D-Dimers ng/mL, mean ± SD | 8,359 ± 16,121 | 11,029 ± 18,444 |
| Ferritin ng/mL, mean ± SD | 1205 ± 708 | 1384 ± 734 |
| Interleukin-6 pg/mL, mean ± SD | 340 ± 655 | 124 ± 157a |
| Lactate acid dehydrogenase U/L, mean ± SD | 705 ± 388 | 696 ± 321 |
| Procalcitonin ng/mL, mean ± SD | 6.37 ± 18.8 | 2.92 ± 8.04 |
a
P = 0.04 comparing the IV and SQ groups.