Table 1.
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at the moment of admission.
| Variable | Total (n = 298) | No ALEx2 (n = 211) | ALEx2 (n = 87) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 59.7 (15.7) | 60.3 (16.4) | 58.2 (14) | 0.26 |
| Gender (male), n (%) | 178 (59.7) | 114 (54) | 64 (73.6) | 0.002 |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | 220 (73.8) | 163 (77.3) | 57 (65.5) | 0.036 |
| Cardiovascular, n (%) | 70 (23.5) | 52 (24.6) | 18 (20.7) | 0.46 |
| Pulmonary, n (%) | 34 (11.4) | 27 (12.8) | 7 (8) | 0.24 |
| Kidney, n (%) | 22 (7.4) | 16 (7.6) | 6 (6.9) | 0.84 |
| Obesity (BMI>35), n (%) | 56 (18.8) | 41 (19.4) | 15 (17.2) | 0.66 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 42 (14.1) | 30 (14.2) | 12 (13.8) | 0.92 |
| Immunosuppression, n (%) | 15 (5) | 10 (4.7) | 5 (5.7) | 0.72 |
| Chronic liver disease, n (%) | 21 (7) | 11 (5.2) | 10 (11.5) | 0.054 |
| NAFLD, n (%) | 17 (5.7) | 9 (4.3) | 8 (9.2) | 0.095 |
| Alcoholic, n (%) | 3 (1) | 2 (0.9) | 1 (1.1) | 0.87 |
| Hepatitis C, n (%) | 2 (0.7) | 2 (0.9) | 0 (0) | 0.36 |
| Cirrhosis, n (%) | 3 (1) | 1 (0.5) | 2 (2.3) | 0.43 |
| Medications at admission, n (%) | 148 (50) | 106 (50.7) | 42 (48.2) | 0.70 |
| NSAID, n (%) | 25 (8.4) | 19 (9) | 6 (6.9) | 0.55 |
| Statins, n (%) | 22 (7.4) | 18 (8.5) | 4 (4.6) | 0.24 |
| Antibiotics, n (%) | 101 (33.9) | 69 (32.7) | 32 (36.8) | 0.5 |
| Acetaminophen, n (%) | 48 (16.1) | 35 (16.6) | 13 (14.9) | 0.73 |
| Other, n (%) | 64 (21.5) | 46 (21.8) | 18 (20.7) | 0.83 |
| Active smoker, n (%) | 39 (14.1) | 30 (15.1) | 9 (11.5) | 0.45 |
| Symptoms | ||||
| Fever (38oC), n (%) | 195 (65.4) | 139 (65.9) | 56 (64.4) | 0.8 |
| Dyspnea, n (%) | 219 (73.5) | 152 (72) | 67 (77) | 0.38 |
| Cough, n (%) | 177 (59.4) | 119 (56.4) | 58 (66.7) | 0.1 |
| Diarrhea, n (%) | 50 (16.8) | 34 (16.1) | 16 (18.4) | 0.63 |
| Nausea/vomiting, n (%) | 22 (7.4) | 17 (8.1) | 5 (5.7) | 0.49 |
| Abdominal pain, n (%) | 23 (7.7) | 17 (8.1) | 6 (6.9) | 0.73 |
| Others, n (%) | 138 (46.3) | 103 (48.8) | 35 (40.2) | 0.18 |
| Time from symptoms to hospitalization (days), median (IQR) | 7 (4–10) | 6 (3–9) | 7 (5–10) | 0.017 |
| Hemoglobin (g/L), median (IQR) | 13.9 (12.4–15) | 13.7 (12.3–15) | 14.2 (12.9–15.1) | 0.14 |
| WBC (x109/L), median (IQR) | 7.8 (5.6–11.4) | 7.8 (5.4–11.2) | 7.7 (6.2–12.5) | 0.57 |
| Neutrophils/lymphocytes ratio | 5.9 (3.4–10.6) | 5.6 (3.2–10) | 7.4 (4.3–12.1) | 0.036 |
| Platelets (x109/L), median (IQR) | 221 (164–280) | 226.5 (166–294) | 201.5 (145.8–265.3) | 0.033 |
| Glucose at admission (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 123 (105–160.3) | 125 (106–163) | 119 (103–152) | 0.51 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/L), median (IQR) | 16.3 (6.3–82) | 15 (5.5–79) | 18.4 (6.9–87.5) | 0.44 |
| Procalcitonin (mg/L), median (IQR) | 0.15 (0.08–0.35) | 0.16 (0.09–0.48) | 0.15 (0.07–0.3) | 0.69 |
| INR, median (IQR) | 1.07 (1–1.17) | 1.06 (1–1.18) | 1.07(1–1.17) | 0.85 |
| D-dimer (mg/L), median (IQR) | 0.71 (0.33–2.12) | 0.64 (0.29–1.8) | 0.75 (0.42–4.4) | 0.08 |
| Ferritin (mg/L), median (IQR) | 842 (509–1644) | 800 (446–1262) | 1127 (618–2522) | 0.004 |
| LDH (U/L), median (IQR) | 396 (294–539) | 371 (289–514) | 454 (321–594) | 0.022 |
| AST (U/L), median (IQR) | 41 (28–63) | 35.5 (24.5–48) | 74 (49–99) | <0.001 |
| ALT (U/L), median (IQR) | 42 (27–68.5) | 35 (23–49) | 93 (61–127) | <0.001 |
| GGT (U/L), median (IQR) | 50.5 (34–100.5) | 43 (28–56) | 142 (105–209) | <0.001 |
| ALP (U/L), median (IQR) | 86.5 (69–119) | 80 (65.3–104.3) | 108.5 (78–152.8) | <0.001 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 0.53 (0.39–0.87) | 0.49 (0.31–0.71) | 0.63 (0.41–1.2) | <0.001 |
| Direct bilirubin (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 0.29 (0.19–0.47) | 0.22 (0.17–0.38) | 0.39 (0.23–0.7) | <0.001 |
| Albumin (g/dL), median (IQR) | 3.7 (3.2–4.1) | 3.8 (3.3–4.1) | 3.6 (2.9-4-2) | 0.29 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dL), median (IQR) | 0.87 (0.69–1.09) | 0.85 (0.69–1.08) | 0.87 (0.69–1.1) | 0.97 |
| Sodium (mEq/L), median (IQR) | 137 (134–140) | 137 (134–140) | 137 (134–140) | 0.98 |
| Potassium (MEq/L), median (IQR) | 4.03 (3.7–4.43) | 4 (3.7–4.4) | 4.18 (3.7–4.6) | 0.31 |
| Radiological findings at admission | ||||
| Unilateral infiltrate, n (%) | 28 (9.4) | 25 (11.8) | 3 (3.4) | 0.024 |
| Bilateral infiltrate/consolidation, n (%) | 247 (82.9) | 168 (79.6) | 79 (90.8) | 0.02 |
ALEx2, abnormal liver enzymes >2 times over the upper limit of normal; BMI, body mass index; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; IQR, interquartile range; WBC, white blood cells; INR, international normalized ratio; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase.