Table 1.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Studied Patients, According to Disease Severity*.
| Characteristic | All patients (n = 297) | Mild/Moderate cases (n = 245) | Severe/Critical cases (n = 52) | P value † |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (IQR) — yr | 48 (35–62) | 44 (30–58) | 60 (51–68) | <0.001 |
| Male sex — no. (%) | 143 (48.1) | 111 (45.3) | 32 (61.5) | 0.033 |
| Cases imported from Hubei— no. (%) | 185 (62.3) | 148 (60.4) | 37 (71.2) | 0.146 |
| Any comorbidity — no. (%) | 111 (37.4) | 80 (32.7) | 31 (59.6) | <0.001 |
| Days from illness onset to admission (IQR) | 4 (2–7) | 4 (3–7) | 6 (4–10) | 0.142 |
| Symptoms on admission | ||||
| Fever — no. (%) | 211 (71.0) | 169 (69.7) | 42 (80.8) | 0.098 |
| Highest temperature (IQR) — °C | 38.0 (37.6–38.6) | 38.1 (37.7–38.5) | 38.5 (38.0–40.0) | 0.006 |
| Cough — no. (%) | 178 (59.9) | 142 (58.0) | 36 (69.2) | 0.132 |
| Dyspnea — no. (%) | 34 (11.4) | 16 (6.5) | 18 (34.6) | <0.001 |
| Diarrhea — no. (%) | 19 (6.4) | 11 (4.5) | 8 (15.4) | 0.004 |
| Other symptoms — no. (%) ‡ | 140 (47.1) | 107 (43.7) | 33 (65.3) | 0.009 |
| Vital signs on admission | ||||
| SaO2 (IQR) — % | 98 (97–99) | 98 (97–99) | 93 (88–96) | <0.001 |
| SaO2 ≤ 93 % — no. (%) | 10 (3.4) | 0 (0.0) | 10 (19.2) | <0.001 |
| Respiratory rate (IQR) — bpm | 20 (18–20) | 20 (18–20) | 20 (19–22) | 0.003 |
| Heart rate (IQR) — bpm | 84 (78–93) | 86 (80–92) | 89 (77–100) | 0.498 |
| Systolic pressure (IQR) — mm Hg | 125 (117–137) | 125 (117–134) | 133 (120–143) | 0.120 |
| Diastolic pressure (IQR) — mm Hg | 82 (75–90) | 80 (74–86) | 86 (68–93) | 0.916 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| C-reactive protein (IQR) — mg/L | 10 (10–26) | 10 (10–24) | 34 (20–57) | <0.001 |
| Procalcitonin — ng/mL | 0.04 (0.03-0.07) | 0.04 (0.03-0.06) | 0.09 (0.05-0.20) | 0.001 |
| Leukopenia — no. (%) | 70/272 (25.5) | 61/223 (27.4) | 9/49 (18.4) | 0.193 |
| Neutropenia — no. (%) | 48/272 (17.6) | 44/223 (19.7) | 4/49 (8.3) | 0.054 |
| Eosinophils — ×10⁹ per L | 0.02 (0.00-0.06) | 0.01(0.00-0.05) | 0.00 (0.00-0.01) | <0.001 |
| Lymphocytes — ×10⁹ per L | 1.4 (1.0–1.9) | 1.4 (1.1–1.8) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) | <0.001 |
| Thrombocytopenia — no. (%) | 33/272 (12.0) | 25/223 (11.2) | 8/49 (16.3) | 0.321 |
| Total bilirubin (IQR) — μmol/L | 9 (7–14) | 9 (7–13) | 17 (7–27) | 0.020 |
| Albumin (SD) — g/L | 40 (37–43) | 40 (37–43) | 35 (33–39) | <0.001 |
| ALT elevation — no. (%) | 39/261 (14.9) | 25/214 (11.7) | 14/47 (29.8) | 0.002 |
| AST elevation — no. (%) | 47/269 (17.5) | 428/221 (12.7) | 19/48 (39.6) | <0.001 |
| Increased creatinine — no. (%) | 46/255 (18.0) | 34/211 (16.1) | 12/44 (27.3) | 0.080 |
| Increased creatine kinase — no. (%) | 28/258 (10.9) | 14/211 (6.6) | 14/47 (29.8) | <0.001 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (IQR) — U/L | 189 (152–244) | 188 (153–229) | 297 (266–354) | <0.001 |
| Imaging findings | ||||
| Pneumonia — no. (%) | 241 (81.1) | 193 (78.8) | 52 (100.0) | 0.023 |
| Hydrothorax — no. (%) | 20/284 (7.0) | 14/236 (5.9) | 6/48 (12.5) | 0.105 |
| Pulmonary consolidation — no. (%) | 22/284 (7.7) | 16/236 (6.8) | 6/48 (12.5) | 0.177 |
The denominators of patients who were included in the analysis are provided if they differed from the overall numbers in the group. Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding. The increase and decrease of laboratory indicators are compared with the normal range of local laboratory testing. IQR denotes interquartile range, SD standard deviation, bpm beats per minute, sec second, ALT alanine aminotransferase, AST aspartate aminotransferase.
Qualitative and quantitative differences between mild / moderate cases and severe cases were analyzed using χ 2 test or Fisher’s exact-tests for categorical parameters and the or Student’s t-test or Mann-Whitney test for continuous parameters, as appropriate. All statistical tests were 2-sided.
Other symptoms included myalgia, fatigue, sore throat, headache, nausea and vomiting.