Table 1.
Characteristics of the patients hospitalized for COVID-19 included in the study (n = 253)
| Total (n = 253) |
Exposure to corticosteroids | Admission to ICU, mechanical ventilation, or death during the first 14 days | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No (n = 236) |
Yes (n = 17) |
No (n = 133) |
Yes (n = 120) |
||
| Age (years) | |||||
| Median (IQR) | 65 (54–76) | 64 (54–76) | 73 (62–82) | 62 (50–75) | 68 (58–78) |
| ≥ 65 years, n (%) | 128 (50.6) | 117 (49.6) | 11 (64.7) | 59 (44.4) | 69 (57.5) |
| Sex | |||||
| Male, n (%) | 150 (59.3) | 141 (59.7) | 9 (52.9) | 69 (51.9) | 81 (67.5) |
| Female, n (%) | 103 (40.7) | 95 (40.3) | 8 (47.1) | 64 (48.1) | 39 (32.5) |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| ≥ 1 comorbidity, n (%) | 218 (86.2) | 201 (85.2) | 17 (100) | 111 (83.5) | 107 (89.2) |
| Overweight, (BMI: 25–30 kg/m2), n (%) | 85 (36.2) | 79 (35.6) | 6 (46.2) | 43 (36.1) | 42 (36.2) |
| Obesity, (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), n (%) | 68 (28.9) | 65 (29.3) | 3 (23.1) | 28 (23.5) | 40 (34.5) |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 102 (40.3) | 92 (39.0) | 10 (58.8) | 46 (34.6) | 56 (46.7) |
| Heart failure, n (%) | 10 (4.0) | 9 (3.8) | 1 (5.9) | 5 (3.8) | 5 (4.2) |
| History of coronary disease, n (%) | 24 (9.5) | 20 (8.5) | 4 (23.5) | 9 (6.8) | 15 (12.5) |
| History of cardiac surgery, n (%) | 3 (1.2) | 2 (0.9) | 1 (5.9) | 2 (1.5) | 1 (0.8) |
| History of cerebrovascular disease, n (%) | 16 (6.3) | 14 (6.0) | 2 (11.8) | 8 (6.0) | 8 (6.7) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 49 (19.4) | 43 (18.2) | 6 (35.3) | 20 (15.0) | 29 (24.2) |
| Chronic lung disease, n (%) | 54 (21.3) | 45 (19.7) | 9 (52.9) | 24 (18.1) | 30 (25.0) |
| Chronic kidney disease, n (%) | 23 (9.1) | 19 (8.1) | 4 (23.5) | 11 (8.3) | 12 (10.0) |
| Chronic liver disease, n (%) | 2 (0.8) | 1 (0.4) | 1 (5.9) | 0 (0) | 2 (1.7) |
| Malignancy, n (%) | 27 (10.7) | 22 (9.3) | 5 (29.4) | 12 (9.0) | 15 (12.5) |
| Immunosuppression, n (%) | 20 (7.9) | 10 (4.2) | 10 (58.8) | 8 (6.0) | 12 (10.0) |
| Time between first symptoms and hospital admission, median (IQR)a | 7 (4–10) | 7 (5–10) | 4 (2–4) | 7 (4–10) | 7 (4–9) |
| At hospital admission | |||||
| Oxygen saturation ≤ 92% or need of oxygen therapy, n (%) a | 116 (46.2) | 110 (46.8) | 6 (37.5) | 33 (25.0) | 83 (69.8) |
| C-reactive protein level, > 50 mg/L, n (%) a | 129 (51.8) | 122 (52.6) | 7 (41.2) | 53 (39.9) | 76 (65.5) |
| Platelets count, < 150 × 109/L, n (%) a | 63 (25.3) | 58 (25.0) | 5 (29.4) | 20 (15.3) | 43 (36.4) |
| Lymphocytes, < 1.5 × 109/L, n (%) a | 185 (83.0) | 173 (83.2) | 12 (80.0) | 84 (74.3) | 101 (91.8) |
| Chest CT-scan severity score | |||||
| Absence or mild, n (%) | 44 (17.4) | 42 (17.8) | 2 (11.8) | 27 (20.3) | 17 (14.2) |
| Moderate, severe, or critical, n (%) | 209 (82.6) | 194 (82.2) | 15 (88.2) | 106 (79.7) | 103 (85.8) |
| Exposure to corticosteroids, n (%) | 17 (6.7) | – | 17 (100) | 7 (5.3) | 10 (8.3) |
| Composite outcome, n (%) | 120 (47.4) | 110 (46.6) | 10 (58.8) | – | 120 (100) |
| Admission to ICU, n (%) | 109 (43.1) | 102 (43.2) | 7 (41.2) | – | 109 (90.8) |
| Mechanical ventilation, n (%) | 61 (24.1) | 58 (24.6) | 3 (17.7) | – | 61 (50.8) |
| Death, n (%) | 19 (7.5) | 14 (5.9) | 5 (29.4) | – | 19 (15.8) |
Abbreviations: BMI body mass index, CT computed tomography, ICU intensive care unit, IQR interquartile range
aMissing data: body mass index, n = 18; time between first symptoms and hospital admission, n = 2; oxygen saturation, n = 2; C-reactive protein, n = 2, platelets count, n = 4; lymphocytes, n = 30