Table 1.
Characteristics of study participants, divided by diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) above or below the lower limit of normal (LLN) at follow-up. Continuous variables are presented as median (range), categorical variables as number and percentage of total.
| Normal DLCO | DLCO < LLN | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N = 33 | N = 27 | ||
| Age <60 years | 23 (70%) | 10 (37%) | 0.01 |
| Male gender | 25 (76%) | 18 (67%) | 0.44 |
| Smoking status | |||
| Never smoked | 25 (76%) | 21 (78%) | 0.63 |
| Current smoker | 1 (3%) | 2 (7%) | |
| Ex-smoker | 7 (21%) | 4 (15%) | |
| BMI | |||
| 20–25 kg/m2 | 3 (10%) | 6 (23%) | 0.54 |
| 25–30 kg/m2 | 13 (43%) | 11 (42%) | |
| 30–35 kg/m2 | 8 (27%) | 6 (23%) | |
| >35 kg/m2 | 6 (20%) | 3 (12%) | |
| Time to follow up | 125 (116–130) | 117 (105–127) | 0.11 |
| Severe ARDS | 9 (27%) | 13 (48%) | 0.10 |
| Invasive ventilation | 13 (39%) | 19 (70%) | 0.02 |
| Days in ICU | 7 (4–11) | 11 (6–16) | 0.02 |
| Highest SOFA score | 6 (5–9) | 8 (6–9) | 0.14 |
| Previous lung disease | |||
| No lung disease | 23 (70%) | 21 (78%) | 0.07 |
| Asthma | 9 (27%) | 2 (7%) | |
| COPD | 0 (0%) | 3 (11%) | |
| Unspecified | 1 (3%) | 1 (4%) | |
| Treatment with anticoagulants or platelet inhibitors | 0 (0%) | 6 (22%) | 0.004 |
| Treatment with dexametasone during COVID-19 | 3 (9%) | 3 (11%) | 0.80 |
| CRP at admission | 213 (139–262) | 151 (74–196) | 0.01 |
| Max D-dimer | 1.85 (1.3–4.1) | 3.4 (1.9–7.2) | 0.09 |
| Lowest blood lymphocytes | 0.9 (0.7–1) | 0.7 (0.5–0.9) | 0.046 |
| Lowest blood leukocytes | 6.4 (5.4–8.2) | 5.4 (4.1–6.8) | 0.03 |
| FVC < LLN at follow-up | 4 (13%) | 9 (36%) | 0.04 |