TABLE 2.
Characteristics of patients with and without evidence of infection
| Infection | No infection | p-value | |
| Patients | 102 (69.9) | 44 (30.1) | |
| Age years | 72.3±10.3 | 69.8±10.7 | 0.26 |
| Male | 65 (63.7) | 26 (59.1) | 0.6 |
| Frequent exacerbator, hospital | 30 (29.4) | 12 (27.3) | 0.79 |
| Current smoker | 32 (31.4) | 15 (34.1) | 0.75 |
| Smoking history pack-years | 46.7±28.5 | 38.7±21.6 | 0.1 |
| BMI kg·m−2 | 25.1±5.8 | 25.1±5.3 | 0.97 |
| FEV1 L | 1.21±0.49 | 1.10±0.67 | 0.42 |
| FEV1 % pred | 51.2±18.0 | 44.0±20.1 | 0.12 |
| TLCO % pred | 37.3±14.8 | 42.7±19.7 | 0.1 |
| mMRCD score | 4 (3–5) | 4 (3–5) | 0.81 |
| Days since symptom onset | 5 (3–7) | 4 (2–14) | 0.94 |
| Prior contact with HCP | 68 (66.7) | 24 (54.5) | 0.17 |
| Pre-hospital antibiotics | 51 (50) | 16 (36.4) | 0.13 |
| Pre-hospital OCS | 30 (29.4) | 6 (13.6) | 0.042 |
| CAT total score | 30 (25–34) | 30 (26–33) | 0.98 |
| HADS total score | 16 (10–22) | 18.5 (9–24) | 0.53 |
| BAP-65 class | 3 (2–5) | 2 (2–3) | 0.13 |
| CXR infiltrate | 30.4 | 20.9 | 0.24 |
| Fever ≥38°C | 23.5 | 0 | <0.001 |
| WCC ×109 per L | 12.2±4.8 | 10.0±3.0 | 0.006 |
| Neutrophils ×109 per L | 9.5±4.3 | 7.0±2.4 | <0.001 |
| Eosinophils ×109 per L | 0.04 (0.0–0.14) | 0.25 (0.08–0.46) | <0.001 |
| CRP mg·dL−1 | 53 (18.7–117) | 4 (1.7–7.0) | <0.001 |
| pH | 7.36±0.08 | 7.33±0.08 | 0.04 |
| PvCO2 mmHg | 48.1±11.2 | 54.5±13.8 | 0.006 |
| Bicarbonate mmol·L−1 | 27.5±4.2 | 29.3±5.7 | 0.13 |
| Base excess mmol·L−1 | 2.7±3.8 | 4.1±5.2 | 0.11 |
| NT-proBNP ng·L−1 | 395 (164–1221) | 263 (152–853) | 0.45 |
| hs-TnI ng·L−1 | 9 (5–32) | 8 (5–20) | 0.38 |
Data are presented as n (%), mean±sd or median (interquartile range), unless otherwise stated. BMI: body mass index; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; TLCO: transfer factor of the lung for carbon monoxide; mMRCD: modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale; HCP: healthcare provider; OCS: oral corticosteroid; CAT: COPD Assessment Test; HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; BAP-65: blood urea nitrogen ≥25 mg·dL−1, altered mental status, pulse 109 beats per min, age 65 years; CXR: chest radiography; WCC: white cell count; CRP: C-reactive protein; PvCO2: venous carbon dioxide tension; NT-proBNP: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide; hs-TnI: high-sensitivity troponin I.