Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of control, infection, and sepsis group.
| Variables | Controls (n = 188) | Infection (n = 555) | Sepsis (n = 737) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (days) | 7.0 (5.0, 12.0) | 7.0 (4.0, 12.0) | 10.0 (5.0, 17.0)bc | <0.001 |
| Male, n (%) | 115 (61.2%) | 318 (57.3%) | 453 (61.5%) | 0.295 |
| Weight (kg) | 3.3 ± 0.5 | 3.3 ± 0.5 | 3.2 ± 0.6c | 0.014 |
| Temperature (°C) | 36.9 ± 0.3 | 36.9 ± 0.4 | 37.4 ± 0.8bc | <0.001 |
| Respiratory (rate/minute) | 45.4 ± 6.3 | 46.3 ± 7.6 | 49.8 ± 10.9bc | <0.001 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 141.8 ± 12.6 | 142.4 ± 15.7 | 149.7 ± 19.6bc | <0.001 |
| SBP (mm Hg) | 76.9 ± 7.2 | 76.4 ± 6.9 | 76.1 ± 8.3 | 0.439 |
| DBP (mm Hg) | 47.1 ± 7.5 | 46.7 ± 7.1 | 45.9 ± 8.0 | 0.063 |
| PCT (ng/mL) | 0.11 (0.09, 0.18) | 0.14 (0.10, 0.25)a | 0.31 (0.14, 1.52)bc | <0.001 |
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 0.7 (0.7, 0.7) | 0.7 (0.7, 0.7) | 0.7 (0.7, 13.48)bc | <0.001 |
| Biochemical parameters | ||||
| TBIL (μmol/L) | 306.4 (262.3, 357.7) | 298.2 (230.9, 355.8)a | 132.0 (45.4, 216.1)bc | <0.001 |
| AST (U/L) | 34.4 (28.5, 46.8) | 37.9 (30.2, 51.0)a | 38.5 (27.9, 55.2) | 0.078 |
| ALT (U/L) | 24.3 (17.6, 30.3) | 25.5 (20.0, 33.2) | 28.5 (21.8, 37.8)bc | <0.001 |
| TP (g/L) | 57.5 ± 5.8 | 57.3 ± 6.7 | 54.1 ± 7.4bc | <0.001 |
| ALB (g/L) | 34.4 ± 3.7 | 33.8 ± 4.0 | 30.6 ± 4.9bc | <0.001 |
| UREA (mmol/L) | 2.2 (1.3, 2.9) | 2.3 (1.5, 3.2) | 3.1 (1.9, 4.4)bc | <0.001 |
| CREA (μmol/L) | 49.6 (41.0, 57.9) | 51.0 (42.0, 59.3) | 47.3 (37.4, 63.1)c | 0.057 |
| UA (μmol/L) | 135.5 (104.9, 186.5) | 137.9 (103.1, 182.5) | 147.8 (109.9, 205.0)bc | 0.003 |
| Hematologic parameters | ||||
| WBC (109 cells/L) | 9.45 (7.92, 11.67) | 10.03 (8.10, 12.39) | 9.99 (7.27, 14.13) | 0.253 |
| Neutrophil count (109 cells/L) | 3.72 (2.82, 5.49) | 4.29 (3.16, 6.07)a | 5.07 (3.07, 8.58)bc | <0.001 |
| Lymphocyte count (109 cells/L) | 4.10 (3.15, 4.86) | 3.94 (2.95, 5.18) | 3.34 (2.11, 4.78)bc | <0.001 |
| NLR | 0.92 (0.63, 1.45) | 1.07 (0.75, 1.84)a | 1.65 (0.85, 3.07)bc | <0.001 |
All values are presented as the mean ± SD or n (%) or as the median (interquartile range). SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; PCT, procalcitonin; TBIL, total bilirubin; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; TP, total protein; ALB, albumin; UREA, urea nitrogen; CREA, creatinine; UA, uric acid; WBC, white blood cell; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; NLR, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. aP < 0.05 for infection vs. control. bP < 0.05 for sepsis vs. control. cP < 0.05 for sepsis vs. infection.