TABLE 1.
Clinical characteristics of the enrolled patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated with or without tocilizumab (TCZ).
| Total (N = 58) | TCZ-treatment group (N = 39) | Non-TCZ treatment group (N = 19) | p-value | |
| Age, y | 73.9 ± 12.7 | 74.7 ± 13.4 | 72.3 ± 11.3 | 0.2812 |
| Gender, n (%) | 0.5685 | |||
| Male | 37 (63.8) | 26 (66.7) | 11(57.9) | |
| Female | 21 (36.2) | 13 (33.3) | 8 (42.1) | |
| BMI | 24.1 ± 2.1 | 24.3 ± 2.1 | 23.6 ± 2.0 | 0.2027 |
| Type, n (%) | 0.2034 | |||
| Mild | 12 (20.7) | 6 (15.4) | 6 (31.6) | |
| Severe | 20 (34.5) | 16 (41.0) | 4 (21.0) | |
| Critical | 26 (44.8) | 17 (43.6) | 9 (47.4) | |
| Symptoms, n (%) | ||||
| Fever history | 39 (67.2) | 23 (59.0) | 16 (84.2) | 0.0756 |
| Fever at admission (°C) | 9 (15.5) | 6 (15.4) | 3 (15.8) | 1.0000 |
| Dyspnea | 18 (31.0) | 7 (18.0) | 11 (57.9) | 0.0053 |
| Fatigue | 30 (51.7) | 18 (46.2) | 12 (63.2) | 0.2708 |
| Muscle soreness | 9 (15.5) | 6 (15.4) | 3 (15.8) | 1.0000 |
| Chills | 8 (13.8) | 4 (10.3) | 4 (21.1) | 0.4179 |
| Cough | 30 (51.7) | 17 (43.6) | 13 (68.4) | 0.0973 |
| Throat irritation | 8 (13.8) | 1 (2.6) | 7 (36.8) | 0.0011 |
| Presence of comorbidities, n (%) | ||||
| Hypertension | 32 (55.2) | 18 (46.1) | 14 (73.7) | 0.0558 |
| Diabetes | 22 (37.9) | 10 (25.6) | 12 (63.2) | 0.0092 |
| CHD | 18 (31.0) | 10 (25.6) | 8 (42.1) | 0.2367 |
| Cerebrovascular events | 6 (10.3) | 3 (7.7) | 3 (15.8) | 0.5894 |
| COPD Renal insufficiency | 7 (12.1) 5 (8.6) | 4 (10.3) 2 (5.1) | 3 (15.8) 3 (15.8) | 0.6726 0.3179 |
| Oxygen saturation% | 92 (86–95) | 90 (85.0–93.0) | 92 (87–96) | 0.6416 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 132 (120–155) | 130 (120–155) | 136 (125–156) | 0.1587 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) Body temperature (°C) Treatment | 78.5 (70–88) 36.4 (36.2–36.8) | 78 (69–86) 36.4 (36.2–36.9) | 86 (74–90) 36.5 (36.2–36.6) | 0.0861 0.9934 |
| Antiviral treatment, n (%) | 37 (63.8) | 30 (76.9) | 11 (57.9) | 0.2181 |
| Antibiotic treatment, n (%) | 42 (72.4) | 31 (79.5) | 11 (57.9) | 0.1190 |
| Oxygen therapy | 0.5801 | |||
| Low-flow oxygen | 24 (41.4) | 14 (35.9) | 10 (52.6) | |
| High-flow oxygen Non-invasive ventilation Invasive ventilation | 10 (17.2) 9 (15.5) 15 (25.9) | 7 (18.0) 6 (15.4) 12 (30.8) | 3 (15.8) 3 (15.8) 3 (15.8) | |
| Glucocorticoid, n (%) | 22 (37.9) | 21 (53.9) | 5 (26.3) | 0.0558 |
| Laboratory characteristics | ||||
| WBC (×109/L) | 7.4 (5.3–11.6) | 6.4 (4.1–11.0) | 10.9 (6.9–12.3) | 0.0170 |
| PCT (ng/ml) | 0.13 (0.07–0.61) | 0.09 (0.05–0.28) | 0.20 (0.10–0.81) | 0.0721 |
| LDH (U/L) | 291 (218–343) | 285.5 (212–343) | 287.5 (234–312) | 0.9203 |
| Lymphocyte count (× 109/L) | 0.77 (0.45–1.02) | 0.70 (0.44–0.93) | 0.83 (0.53–1.36) | 0.0635 |
| Lymphocyte percentage (%) | 8.7 (5.3–17.6) | 9.7 (5.2–17.6) | 7.6 (5.3–18.4) | 0.9208 |
| Hs-CRP (mg/L) | 58.3 (24.4–116.8) | 35.4 (9.1–92.8) | 82.1 (25.5–101.9) | 0.9406 |
| IL-6 (pg/ml) | 77.8 (34.1–302.0) | 63.4 (36.4–129.7) | 25.8 (29.8–82.6) | 0.0014 |
| D-dimer (mg/l) | 3.7 (1.3–6.5) | 2.9 (1.3–5.3) | 4.3 (1.4–12.5) | 0.3375 |
Three methods have been used for testing: the Wilcoxon rank-sum test for continuous variables, the Fisher’s exact test for dichotomous variables, and the General Linear Model for categorical variables. All continuous variables were expressed as median (interquartile range [IQR]), except for age, which was represented as mean ± SD. CHD, coronary artery heart disease; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; hs-CRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; IL-6, interleukin-6; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; PCT, procalcitonin; WBC, white blood cell. There was statistical difference in bold type.