TABLE 1.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Patients at Baseline.
| Characteristic | Total | Group 1 | Group 2 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 123 | N = 49 | N = 74 | ||
| Age, Median (range)‐years | 62 (23‐89) | 62 (36‐89) | 62.5 (23‐88) | 0.741 |
| Male‐No., % | 73 (59.3%) | 30 (61.2%) | 43 (58.1%) | 0.73 |
| BMI‐kg/m2, median (range)‐years | 21.6 (13.2‐32) | 21.9 (16.2‐27.8) | 21.5 (13.2‐32) | 0.153 |
| Dialysis vintage, median (range)‐month | 45 (0.5‐240) | 26 (0.5‐218) | 60 (1‐240) | 0.107 |
| Vascular access‐no., % | ||||
| Tunneled cuffed catheter | 37 (30.1%) | 15 (30.6%) | 22 (29.7%) | 0.917 |
| AvF | 86 (69.9%) | 34 (69.4%) | 52 (70.3%) | |
| Dialysis frequency‐no., % | ||||
| Twice per week | 46 (37.4) | 17 (34.7%) | 29 (39.2%) | 0.013 |
| Five times in 2 weeks | 17 (13.8%) | 2 (4.1%) | 15 (20.3%) | |
| Three times per week | 60 (48.8%) | 30 (61.2%) | 30 (40.5%) | |
| Primary renal disease‐no., % | ||||
| Glomerulonephritis | 52 (42.3%) | 18 (36.7%) | 34 (45.9%) | 0.486 |
| Diabetic nephropathy | 36 (29.3%) | 15 (30.6%) | 21 (28.4%) | |
| Hypertensive kidney disease | 18 (14.6%) | 7 (14.3%) | 11 (14.9%) | |
| Polycystic kidney disease | 7 (5.7%) | 3 (6.1%) | 4 (5.4%) | |
| Lupus nephritis | 2 (1.6%) | 2 (4.1%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Obstructive nephropathy | 4 (3.3%) | 1 (2.0%) | 3 (4.1%) | |
| Drug‐induced kidney damage | 1 (0.8%) | 1 (2.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | |
| Gouty nephropathy | 3 (2.4%) | 2 (4.1%) | 1 (1.4%) | |
| Kidney transplant‐no., % | 1 (0.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 0.414 |
| Hypertension‐no., % | 122 (99.2%) | 49 (100.0%) | 73 (98.6%) | 0.414 |
| Diabetes‐no., % | 39 (31.7%) | 17 (34.7%) | 22 (29.7%) | 0.562 |
| Stroke‐no., % | 18 (14.6%) | 5 (10.2%) | 13 (17.6%) | 0.306 |
| Coronary heart disease‐no., % | 27 (22%) | 12 (24.5%) | 15 (20.3%) | 0.58 |
| Signs and symptoms at admission (Group 1) or during the outbreak (Group 2) ‐no., % | ||||
| Asymptomatic | 56 (45.5%) | 9 (18.4%) | 47 (63.5%) | <0.001 |
| Fever | 22 (17.9%) | 16 (32.7%) | 6 (8.1%) | <0.001 |
| Cough | 40 (32.5%) | 23 (46.9%) | 17 (23.0%) | 0.005 |
| Sputum production | 11 (8.9%) | 7 (14.3%) | 4 (5.4%) | 0.113 |
| Rhinorrhea | 1 (0.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (3.1%) | 0.395 |
| Sore throat | 1 (0.8%) | 0 (0.0%) | 1 (1.4%) | 0.414 |
| Shortness of breath | 12 (9.8%) | 7 (14.3%) | 5 (6.8%) | 0.218 |
| Anorexia | 8 (6.5%) | 6 (12.2%) | 2 (2.7%) | 0.058 |
| Nausea and vomiting | 4 (3.3%) | 4 (8.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.023 |
| Diarrhea | 4 (3.3%) | 4 (8.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.023 |
| Fatigue | 16 (13%) | 13 (26.5%) | 3 (4.1%) | <0.001 |
| Muscle ache | 1 (0.8%) | 1 (2.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0.398 |
Abbreviations: AvF, arteriovenous fistula; BMI, Body Mass Index.