Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with moderate and severe COVID-19 on admission
| Variables | All patients (n = 134) | Cases (n = 67) | Controls (n = 67) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, n (%) | ||||
| Male | 72 (53.7) | 36 (53.7) | 36 (53.7) | – |
| Female | 62 (46.3) | 31 (46.3) | 31 (46.3) | – |
| Age, year (IQR) | 43 (38, 47) | 43 (37, 47) | 44 (39, 47) | – |
| Time from the onset of illness to hospital admission, days (IQR) | 10 (7, 14) | 10 (7, 13) | 10 (7, 15) | 0.521 |
| Length of hospital stay, days (IQR) | 17 (14, 22) | 20 (15, 25) | 14 (13, 20) | 0.006 |
| Symptom, n (%) | ||||
| Fever (temperature ⩾ 37.3 °C) | 121 (90.3) | 63 (94.0) | 58 (86.6) | 0.267 |
| Diarrhoea | 26 (19.4) | 15 (22.4) | 11 (16.4) | 0.481 |
| Cough | 109 (81.3) | 57 (85.1) | 52 (77.6) | 0.359 |
| Fatigue | 40 (29.9) | 18 (26.9) | 22 (32.8) | 0.541 |
| Chest distress | 60 (44.8) | 32 (47.8) | 28 (41.8) | 0.618 |
| Treatment, n (%) | ||||
| Antibiotics | 97 (72.4) | 55 (82.1) | 42 (62.7) | 0.015 |
| Antiviral treatment | 130 (97.0) | 64 (95.5) | 66 (98.5) | 0.625 |
| Corticosteroids | 46 (34.3) | 33 (49.3) | 13 (19.4) | <0.0001 |
| IVIG | 29 (21.6) | 16 (23.9) | 13 (19.4) | 0.678 |
| HFNC | 2 (1.5) | 2 (3.0) | 0 (0.0) | – |
| NIV | 5 (3.7) | 5 (7.5) | 0 (0.0) | – |
| IV | 2 (1.5) | 1 (1.5) | 1 (1.5) | 1.000 |
| ECMO | 1 (0.7) | 1 (1.5) | 0 (0.0) | – |
| Physiological parameter (IQR) | ||||
| Heart rate, times per min | 90 (80, 101) | 95 (83, 106) | 83 (76, 98) | 0.001 |
| Systolic pressure | 123 (115, 130) | 123 (119, 131) | 121 (112,130) | 0.154 |
| Diastolic pressure | 78 (72, 88) | 81 (71, 89) | 78 (72, 87) | 0.913 |
| RR, breaths per min | 20 (20, 22), n = 133 | 20 (20,23), n = 66 | 20 (19, 20) | 0.001 |
| SpO2, % | 97 (95, 98), n = 126 | 95 (92, 97), n = 60 | 97 (96, 98), n = 66 | <0.0001 |
| Biological parameters (IQR) | ||||
| WBC, × 109/l | 5.3 (4.0, 6.8) | 5.4 (4.0, 7.3) | 5.3 (4.0, 6.5) | 0.078 |
| Neutrophil, × 109/l | 3.7 (2.4, 5.0) | 4.0 (2.8, 5.6) | 3.3 (2.2, 4.2) | 0.003 |
| Lymphocyte, × 109/l | 1.17 (0.83, 1.46) | 0.89 (0.68, 1.33) | 1.3 (1.1, 1.6) | <0.0001 |
| Haemoglobin, g/l | 131 (122, 142) | 131 (118, 142) | 132 (123, 143) | 0.387 |
| Platelet, × 109/l | 234.5 (171.8, 306.0) | 230.0 (165.0, 294.0) | 241.0 (173.0, 324.0) | 0.091 |
| Albumin, g/l | 36.3 (32.9, 39.1) | 34.8 (31.3, 37.6) | 37.9 (33.7, 40.2) | 0.003 |
| LDH, U/l | 272.5 (218.0, 362.3) | 301.0 (242.0, 431.0) | 236.0 (199.0, 302.0) | <0.0001 |
| NaHCO3, mmol/l | 23.9 (22.2, 25.3) | 23.6 (21.8, 25.3) | 24.1 (22.7, 25.4) | 0.806 |
| Urea, mmol/l | 3.6 (2.8, 4.5) | 3.8 (2.7, 4.7) | 3.5 (3.0, 4.2) | 0.510 |
| Creatinine, μmol/l | 65.0 (54.8, 79.0) | 66.0 (52.0, 84.0) | 65.0 (57.0, 78.0) | 0.977 |
| Creatine kinase, U/l | 74.5 (44.0, 163.5), n = 42 | 80.5 (36.5, 316.8), n = 20 | 69.0 (46.8, 116.3), n = 22 | 0.201 |
| CRP, mg/l | 26.2 (3.9, 65.4), n = 132 | 58.9 (13.0, 101.0) | 10.8 (2.1, 31.8), n = 65 | <0.0001 |
| PCT, ng/ml | 0.06 (0.03, 0.98), n = 88 | 0.06 (0.04, 1.53), n = 54 | 0.04 (0.03, 0.07), n = 34 | 0.001 |
| SF, μg/l | 564.8 (212.0, 1069.6), n = 40 | 524.8 (251.7, 1104.2), n = 23 | 604.7 (108.0, 1104.3), n = 17 | 0.941 |
| Fibrinogen, g/l | 5.2 (3.9, 6.0), n = 109 | 5.6 (4.5, 6.5), n = 50 | 4.7 (3.6, 5.7), n = 59 | 0.007 |
| hs-cTnI, pg/ml | 2.7 (1.9, 4.9), n = 94 | 3.1 (1.9, 8.0), n = 48 | 1.9 (1.9, 4.2), n = 46 | 0.093 |
| IL-2R, U/ml | 693.0 (526.0, 886.0), n = 51 | 743.0 (536.0, 1028.0), n = 27 | 654.5 (461.5, 842.5), n = 24 | 0.535 |
| IL-6, pg/ml | 11.3 (3.0, 30.9), n = 51 | 20.3 (5.6, 41.7), n = 27 | 6.5 (1.7, 19.8), n = 24 | 0.088 |
| IL-8, pg/ml | 13.0 (7.8, 22.5), n = 51 | 18.5 (10.3, 22.5), n = 27 | 10.3 (6.9, 24.3), n = 24 | 0.045 |
| IL-10, pg/ml | 5.0 (5.0, 9.0), n = 51 | 7.3 (5.0, 11.4), n = 27 | 5.0 (5.0, 5.0), n = 24 | 0.019 |
| NT-proBNP, pg/ml | 62.0 (19.8, 188.8), n = 86 | 86.5 (22.8, 294.8), n = 44 | 43.0 (29.3, 1.2), n = 42 | 0.117 |
| D-Dimer, μg/ml | 0.57 (0.34, 1.16), n = 127 | 0.68 (0.39, 1.16), n = 63 | 0.44 (0.29, 1.19), n = 64 | 0.294 |
IQR, interquartile range; IVIG, intravenous immunoglobin; HFNC, high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy; NIV, non-invasive mechanical ventilation; IV, invasive mechanical ventilation; ECMO, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; RR, respiratory rate; SpO2, peripheral oxygen saturation; WBC, white blood cell count; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; CRP, C-reactive protein; PCT, procalcitonin; SF, serum ferritin; hs-cTnI, hypersensitive cardiac troponin I; NT-proBNP, N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide.
Data are shown as the median (IQR), n (%), n, where n is the actual number with available data. Categorical variables were analysed using McNemar's test and continuous variables were analysed using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test as appropriate based on whether the data conformed to a normal distribution.