Table 4.
Prevalence of the main laboratory abnormalities and outcomes of the 1074 study participants, stratified according to procalcitonin levels.
| PCT < 0.05 ng/ml (N = 130) | PCT ≥0.05-<0.5 ng/ml (N = 698) | PCT ≥0.5-<2 ng/ml (N = 145) | PCT ≥ 2 ng/ml (N = 101) | P ∗ | P < 0.05 OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prevalence of laboratory abnormalities | ||||||
| Neutrophil count > 8000/mm3, % | 7 | 18 | 41 | 57 | <0.001 | 2.65 (2.17-3.24) |
| Lymphocyte count < 1000/mm3, % | 40 | 57 | 57 | 81 | <0.001 | 1.48 (1.24-1.77) |
| Monocyte count < 200/mm3, % | 6 | 10 | 17 | 25 | <0.001 | 1.44 (1.42-2.28) |
| AST > 40 IU/l, % | 31 | 51 | 69 | 63 | <0.001 | 1.71 (1.42-2.07) |
| LDH > 247 IU/l, % | 58 | 84 | 90 | 84 | <0.001 | 1.69 (1.31-2.19) |
| CPK > 200 IU/l, % | 25 | 38 | 62 | 63 | <0.001 | 1.80 (1.50-2.16) |
| D − dimer > 500 ng/dl, % | 69 | 87 | 94 | 94 | <0.001 | 1.92 (1.38-2.67) |
| Fibrinogen > 400 ng/dl, % | 73 | 89 | 91 | 88 | 0.028 | 1.38 (1.04-1.84) |
| Outcomes | ||||||
| Noninvasive ventilation, % | 4 | 10 | 17 | 10 | 0.001 | 1.55 (1.20-2.00) |
| ICU admission, % | 1 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0.011 | 1.65 (1.12-2.41) |
| Death, % | 4 | 21 | 39 | 52 | ||
| Death (patients ≤ 75 years old), % | 3 | 10 | 17 | 25 | ||
| Death (patients > 75 years old), % | 5 | 33 | 55 | 68 |
∗ P calculated with logistic regression and adjusted for age, sex, consolidations, and positive nasopharyngeal swab. Data expressed as percentages (PCT: procalcitonin; OR: odds ratio; CI: confidence interval; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; CPK: creatine phosphokinase; ICU: intensive care unit).