Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of the studied population and laboratory findings at admission
| IMW (N = 5) | ICU (N = 28) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years)a | 64.0 (58.0–66.0) | 59.5 (50.0–64.5) | 0.2725 |
| Dead – N(%) | 0 (0) | 12 (42.8) | 0.1329 |
| Male gender – N(%) | 4 (80.0) | 22 (78.6) | > 0.999 |
| Smoking history – N(%) | |||
| - Never smoked | 0 (0) | 24 (85.7) | 0.0005§ |
| - Former smoker | 5 (100) | 3 (10.7) | 0.0002§ |
| - Current smoker | 0 (0) | 1 (3.6) | > 0.999 |
| Comorbidities – N(%) | |||
| - Any | 5 (100) | 14 (50.0) | 0.0574 |
| - Arterial hypertension | 2 (40.0) | 6 (21.4) | 0.5736 |
| - Chronic heart disease | 2 (40.0) | 3 (10.7) | 0.1546 |
| - Cerebrovascular disease | 0 (0) | 1 (3.6) | > 0.999 |
| - Chronic obstructive lung disease | 0 (0) | 1 (3.6) | > 0.999 |
| - Lung transplant | 3 (60.0) | 0 (0) | 0.0018§ |
| - Diabetes mellitus type II | 1 (20.0) | 2 (7.1) | 0.3996 |
| - Cancer | 1 (20.0) | 1 (3.6) | 0.2841 |
| - Immunosuppression | 4 (80.0) | 2 (7.1) | 0.0017§ |
| Symptoms – N(%) | |||
| - Fever | 5 (100) | 27 (96.4) | > 0.999 |
| - Dyspnea, cough | 1 (20.0) | 28 (100) | 0.0001§ |
| - Diarrhea, nausea | 2 (40.0) | 2 (7.1) | 0.0993 |
| - Dysgeusia, anosmia | 1 (20.0) | 0(0) | 0.1515 |
| Days between symptoms onset and hospitalizationa | 7.0 (3.0–11.0) | 6.0 (4.0–9.0) | 0.9589 |
| Days in CPAP prior intubationa | – | 2.0 (1.0–6.5) | na |
| Days between symptoms onset and BAL samplinga | 8.0 (4.0–12.0) | 25.0 (20.0–30.0) | 0.6852 |
| SOFA scoread | – | 12.0 (8.0–13.0) | na |
| Laboratory findingsad | |||
| - PaO2/FiO2 ratio | 333.4 (195.5–379.1) | 121.0 (97.5–157.5) | 0.0060§ |
| - White cell count (cells·ml− 1) | 7720.0 (4920.0–11,890.0) | 13,700.0 (9400.0–16,810.0) | 0.0379§ |
| - Lymphocyte count (cells·ml− 1) | 900.0 (470.0–1990.0) | 1130.0 (760.0–1675.0) | 0.5807 |
| - Hemoglobin (cells·ml−1) | 10.7 (9.8–12.8) | 10.05 (9.2–10.8) | 0.2997 |
| - Platelet count (cells·ml− 1) | 278.0 (158.0–368.0) | 353.0 (176.0–361.0) | 0.9586 |
| - LDH (mU ml− 1) | 269.0 (171.5–339.0) | 414.5 (419.5–547.8) | 0.0169§ |
| - CK (mU ml− 1) | 120.0 (46.0–582.5) | 66.5 (32.5–419.8) | 0.5368 |
| - D-dimer (ug l−1) | 1077.0 (689.0–1465.0) | 3299.0 (1599.0–5497.0) | > 0.999 |
| - Ferritin (ng ml− 1) | 1191.5 (475.3–1928.0) | 1413.0 (298.8–2534.0) | 0.8081 |
| - Albumin (g l− 1) | 3.1 (2.4–3.6) | 2.0 (2.0–2.1) | 0.0015§ |
| - CRP (mg dl− 1) | 11.3 (3.2–12.1) | 36.1 (15.4–137.6) | 0.0228§ |
| - Procalcitonin (ng ml− 1) | 0.1 (0.1–1.1) | 0.4 (0.3–1.0) | 0.2135 |
| - Serum IL6 (ng l−1)b | 41.1 (13.4–72.5) | 476.5 (110.6–1636.0) | 0.0102§ |
| Bacterial co-infections - N(%)c | 2 (40.0) | 21 (75.0) | 0.2911 |
| Fungal co-infections - N(%)c | 0 (0) | 4 (14.3) | 0.5997 |
| Viral co-infections - N(%)c | 0 (0) | 1 (3.6) | > 0.999 |
§significant difference (p < 0.05 with respect to IMW)
aData are expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR)
bData regarding serum IL6 levels are missing for 12 ICU patients (42.8%)
cAll pathogens were isolated on BAL
d Referred to the same day of BAL