Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with coronavirus disease 2019
| Characteristics | All | Corticosteroids | No corticosteroids | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 382 (100.0) | 226 (59.2) | 156 (40.8) | – |
| Age (year) | 60.7 ± 14.1 | 59.1 ± 14.0 | 63.0 ± 14.0 | 0.0077 |
| Male sex | 234 (61.3) | 150 (66.4) | 84 (53.8) | 0.0135 |
| Smoking history | 35 (9.2) | 24 (10.6) | 11 (7.1) | 0.2347 |
| Days from onset at hospital admission | 11.0 (8.0–15.0) | 10.0 (7.0–14.0) | 12.0 (9.0–16.5) | 0.0029 |
| Medical history | ||||
| Chronic pulmonary disease | 20 (5.2) | 12 (5.3) | 8 (5.1) | 0.9376 |
| Hypertension | 136 (35.6) | 79 (35.0) | 57 (36.5) | 0.7508 |
| Diabetes | 67 (17.5) | 36 (15.9) | 31 (19.9) | 0.3193 |
| Chronic liver disease | 15 (3.9) | 11 (4.9) | 4 (2.6) | 0.2546 |
| Chronic renal disease | 6 (1.6) | 2 (0.9) | 4 (2.6) | 0.1945 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 28 (7.3) | 12 (5.3) | 16 (10.3) | 0.0682 |
| Malignant tumor | 12 (3.1) | 7 (3.1) | 5 (3.2) | 0.9527 |
| Hematological malignant tumor | 2 (0.6) | 1 (0.5) | 1 (0.7) | 0.8339 |
| Immunosuppressive conditions | 14 (3.7) | 9 (4.0) | 5 (3.2) | 0.6911 |
| SOFA score at hospital admission | 2.0 (2.0–3.0) | 2.0 (2.0–3.0) | 2.0 (2.0–3.0) | 0.1383 |
| Corticosteroid therapy before hospital admission | 40 (10.5) | 28 (12.4) | 12 (7.7) | 0.1405 |
| Vital signs at hospital admission | ||||
| Temperature (°C) | 36.8 ± 0.7 | 36.9 ± 0.8 | 36.7 ± 0.5 | 0.0069 |
| Heart rate (min−1) | 90.9 ± 15.3 | 92.9 ± 16.3 | 88.0 ± 13.1 | 0.0018 |
| Respiratory rate (min−1) | 24.0 ± 6.3 | 24.5 ± 7.1 | 23.3 ± 5.0 | 0.0609 |
| Laboratory findings | ||||
| Blood leukocyte count (× 109/L) | 8.1 (5.2–11.3) | 8.4 (5.1–11.7) | 7.5 (5.4–10.0) | 0.2593 |
| Lymphocyte count (× 109/L) | 0.7 (0.5–1.0) | 0.6 (0.5–0.8) | 0.8 (0.6–1.1) | < 0.0001 |
| Neutrophil count (× 109/L) | 6.9 (4.0–10.2) | 7.4 (4.2–10.7) | 5.7 (4.0–8.7) | 0.0508 |
| SpO2/FiO2 | 229.3 (175.5–352.4) | 218.6 (170.0–366.7) | 241.5 (184.0–332.8) | 0.2133 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 89.0 (38.0–159.9) | 96.7 (45.9–160.0) | 68.7 (28.6–138.5) | 0.0026 |
| D-dimer (mg/L) | 1.5 (0.7–8.0) | 1.5 (0.6–9.5) | 1.5 (0.7–7.1) | 0.9913 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase (U/L) | 409.0 (304.0–545.0) | 429.0 (320.0–569.0) | 386.5 (277.0–509.5) | 0.0124 |
| Bilateral involvement | 358 (93.7) | 214 (94.7) | 144 (92.3) | 0.3455 |
| Severity of ARDSa | ||||
| Mild | 120 (31.4) | 60 (26.5) | 60 (38.5) | 0.0297 |
| Moderate | 157 (41.1) | 99 (43.8) | 58 (37.2) | |
| Severe | 105 (27.5) | 67 (29.6) | 38 (24.4) | |
| Antivirus drugs | ||||
| Lopinavir | 91 (24.0) | 72 (31.9) | 19 (12.4) | < 0.0001 |
| Ganciclovir | 32 (8.4) | 19 (8.4) | 13 (8.5) | 0.9754 |
| Interferon | 103 (27.2) | 65 (28.8) | 38 (24.8) | 0.3994 |
| Oseltamivir | 64 (16.9) | 52 (23.0) | 12 (7.8) | 0.0001 |
| Antibiotics | 371 (97.1) | 224 (99.1) | 147 (94.2) | 0.0126 |
| Respiratory support during hospital stay | ||||
| High-frequency oscillation ventilation | 146 (38.8) | 100 (45.2) | 46 (29.7) | 0.0023 |
| NIMV | 147 (38.5) | 104 (46.0) | 43 (27.6) | 0.0003 |
| IMV | 94 (24.6) | 59 (26.1) | 35 (22.4) | 0.4130 |
| ECMO | 11 (2.9) | 8 (3.5) | 3 (1.9) | 0.3530 |
| Hyperglycemia | 32 (8.4) | 20 (8.8) | 12 (7.7) | 0.6882 |
| In-hospital 60-day mortality | 203 (53.1) | 135 (59.7) | 68 (43.6) | 0.0019 |
| In-hospital days for all patients | 12.0 (7.0–18.0) | 14.0 (9.0–21.0) | 10.0 (6.0–13.0) | < 0.0001 |
| In-hospital days for survivors | 13.0 (10.0–19.0) | 16.0 (11.0–24.0) | 11.0 (8.5–15.0) | < 0.0001 |
| Median survival time (days) | 18.0 (15.0–20.0) | 19.0 (15.0–21.0) | 15.0 (12.0–23.0) | 0.0239 |
| Duration of viral shedding from symptom onset (days) | 18.0 (14.0–23.0) | 19.0 (14.0–23.0) | 18.0 (14.0–24.0) | 0.7217 |
Data are n (%), mean (SD), or median (IQR). For continuous variables, t test or Mann–Whitney U test was used to calculate the p value unless otherwise noted. For categorical variables, chi-square test was used to calculate the p value unless otherwise noted
ARDS acute respiratory distress syndrome, SOFA sequential organ failure assessment, CRP c-reactive protein, MV mechanical ventilation, NIMV noninvasive mechanical ventilation, IMV invasive mechanical ventilation, ECMO extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, SpO2 pulse oxygen saturation, FIO2 fraction of inspired oxygen. ARDS was defined according to World Health Organization interim guidance
aPaO2/FiO2 was estimated from SpO2/FiO2 if PaO2/FiO2 was not available [37]