Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients at baseline.
| Characteristic | Total (N = 208) | Ribavirin (N = 68) | Ribavirin + Interferon (N = 29) | Ribavirin + Lopinavir/Ritonavir (N = 26) | No Ribavirin (N = 140) | P Valuea | P Valueb | P Valuec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex—no. (%) | 107(51.4) | 38(55.9) | 20(69.0) | 17(65.4) | 69(49.3) | 0.37 | 0.05 | 0.13 |
| Age, median(IQR) —yr | 62(52,70) | 63(53,70) | 60(55,68) | 62(48,71) | 62(52,70) | 0.42 | 0.71 | 0.84 |
| Coexisting conditions—no. (%) | 121(58.2) | 49(72.1) | 17(58.6) | 15(57.7) | 72(51.4) | 0.00 | 0.48 | 0.56 |
| Clinical symptoms before admission | ||||||||
| Fiver—no. %) | 163(78.4) | 56(82.4) | 22(75.9) | 19(73.1) | 107(76.4) | 0.33 | 0.95 | 0.71 |
| Cough—no. (%) | 146(70.2) | 50(73.5) | 23(79.3) | 18(69.2) | 96(68.6) | 0.46 | 0.25 | 0.95 |
| Expectoration—no. (%) | 64(30.8) | 15(22.1) | 6(20.7) | 7(26.9) | 49(35.0) | 0.06 | 0.13 | 0.42 |
| Dyspnea—no. (%) | 121(58.2) | 36(52.9) | 18(62.1) | 13(50.0) | 85(60.7) | 0.29 | 0.89 | 0.31 |
| Diarrhea—no. (%) | 28(13.5) | 12(17.6) | 4(13.8) | 7(26.9) | 16(11.4) | 0.22 | 0.72 | 0.04 |
| White-cell count ( × 109/L) — median (IQR) | 5.63(4.40,7.44) | 5.44(4.40,7.59) | 5.58(4.11,7.42) | 5.56(4.50,7.80) | 5.75(4.40,7.36) | 0.53 | 0.59 | 0.20 |
| Absolute Neutrophil count ( × 109/L) — median (IQR) | 4.00(2.96,5.84) | 4.11(3.15,5.95) | 3.85(2.71,5.88) | 4.23(2.90,6.90) | 3.99(2.94,5.56) | 0.53 | 0.55 | 0.20 |
| Lymphocyte count ( × 109/L) — median (IQR) | 0.97(0.66,1.31) | 1.00(0.68,1.30) | 1.08(0.67,1.35) | 1.02(0.69,1.32) | 0.96(0.64,1.33) | 0.85 | 0.85 | 0.99 |
| Eosinophil count ( × 109/L) — median (IQR) | 0.04(0.01,0.11) | 0.04(0.01,0.13) | 0.06(0.00,0.15) | 0.02(0.01,0.07) | 0.04(0.01,0.10) | 0.48 | 0.19 | 0.83 |
| Hemoglobin (g/L) — median (IQR) | 125(115,135) | 126(120,134) | 128(121,137) | 126(120,142) | 124(113,135) | 0.26 | 0.06 | 0.20 |
| Platelet count ( × 109/L) — median (IQR) | 215(153,292) | 214(159,286) | 207(155,252) | 211(120,142) | 217(147,292) | 0.94 | 0.39 | 0.73 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L)— median (IQR) | 15.95(3.58,53.25) | 16.69(3.75,67.09) | 16.69(2.16,53.53) | 16.23(4.34,70.08) | 15.73(3.60,42.56) | 0.31 | 0.89 | 0.28 |
| Seven-category scale at day 1 | ||||||||
| 3: Hospitalization, not requiring supplemental oxygen — no. (%) | 41(19.7) | 10(14.7) | 4(13.8) | 2(7.7) | 31(22.1) | 0.07 | 0.42 | 0.08 |
| 4: Hospitalization, requiring supplemental oxygen — no. (%) | 128(61.5) | 41(60.3) | 20(69.0) | 15(57.7) | 87(62.1) | |||
| 5: Hospitalization, requiring HFNC or noninvasive mechanical ventilation — no. (%) | 37(17.8) | 16(23.5) | 5(17.2) | 8(30.8) | 21(15.0) | |||
| 6: Hospitalization, requiring ECMO, invasive mechanical ventilation, or both — no. (%) | 2(1.0) | 1(1.5) | 0(0.0) | 1(3.8) | 1(0.7) | |||
| Days from illness onset to inpatient — median (IQR) | 12(7,15) | 12(7,15) | 13(7,16) | 12(7,15) | 12(7,15) | 0.58 | 0.55 | 0.88 |
| Treatments during inpatient | ||||||||
| Chloroquine — no. (%) | 32(15.4) | 12(17.6) | 5(17.2) | 5(19.2) | 20(14.3) | 0.53 | 0.68 | 0.52 |
| Arbidol — no. (%) | 188(90.4) | 60(88.6) | 22(75.9) | 22(84.6) | 128(91.4) | 0.46 | 0.02 | 0.28 |
| Lianhua Qingwen — no. (%) | 84(40.4) | 23(33.8) | 5(17.2) | 12(46.2) | 61(43.6) | 0.18 | 0.01 | 0.81 |
| XUE BI JING injection — no. (%) | 51(24.5) | 17(25.0) | 8(27.6) | 7(26.9) | 34(24.3) | 0.91 | 0.71 | 0.78 |
| Antibiotic agent — no. (%) | 180(86.5) | 58(85.3) | 26(89.7) | 20(76.9) | 122(87.1) | 0.71 | 0.71 | 0.17 |
| Expectorants — no. (%) | 127(61.1) | 39(57.4) | 20(69.0) | 15(57.7) | 88(62.9) | 0.44 | 0.53 | 0.62 |
| Immunopotentiator — no. (%) | 106(51,0) | 29(42.6) | 12(41.4) | 12(46.2) | 77(55.0) | 0.10 | 0.18 | 0.41 |
| Anticoagulant drugs — no. (%) | 41(19.7) | 15(22.1) | 7(24.1) | 9(34.6) | 26(18.6) | 0.55 | 0.49 | 0.07 |
| Anti-platelet drugs — no. (%) | 13(6.2) | 6(8.8) | 1(3.4) | 2(7.7) | 7(5.0) | 0.28 | 0.72 | 0.58 |
| Glucocorticoid therapy — no. (%) | 70(33.6) | 28(41.2) | 13(44.8) | 12(46.2) | 42(30.0) | 0.11 | 0.12 | 0.11 |
IQR interquartile range.
a
The ribavirin group compared with the no ribavirin group.
b
The ribavirin + interferon group compared with the no ribavirin group.
c
The ribavirin + lopinavir/ritonavir group compared with the no ribavirin group.