Table 2.
Patient characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients according to COVID-19 disease severity.
| Variables | Mild | Moderate | Severe/critical | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of subjects | 44 | 35 | 38 | |
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 47 ± 19 | 56 ± 17 | 67 ± 16 | <.001 |
| Male | 21 (48) | 16 (46) | 20 (53) | .828 |
| Body mass index, kg/m², mean ± SD | 27 ± 5 | 28 ± 7 | 30 ± 6 | .053 |
| Smoker | 12 (31) | 5 (15) | 7 (21) | .248 |
| Outcome & Complications | ||||
| Length of hospitalization, days, mean ± SD | 6 ± 7 | 7 ± 6 | 14 ± 10 | <.001 |
| Time between hospitalization & rectal swab, days, mean ± SD | 2 ± 5 | 1 ± 3 | 1 ± 2 | .263 |
| Time between first symptoms & rectal swab, days, mean ± SD | 8 ± 12 | 7 ± 7 | 6 ± 5 | .827 |
| Admission to intensive care unit | 0 | 0 | 10 (27) | <.001 |
| Deceased | 1 (2) | 0 | 3 (8) | .156 |
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | ||||
| Diarrhea | 10 (23) | 14 (40) | 13 (34) | .239 |
| Odor disorder | 10 (23) | 13 (38) | 9 (26) | 31.318 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Pre-existing illness | 29 (66) | 24 (69) | 36 (95) | .004 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 7 (16) | 6 (17) | 11 (29) | .290 |
| Coronary heart disease | 4 (9) | 2 (6) | 10 (26) | .02 |
| Hypertension | 11 (25) | 9 (26) | 23 (61) | .001 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 2 (5) | 0 | 7 (18) | .008 |
| Solid organ transplantation | 2 (5) | 0 | 0 | 0.78 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 2 (5) | 3 (9) | 10 (26) | .009 |
| Malignancy | 5 (11) | 7 (20) | 6 (16) | .570 |
| Medication at time point of sampling | ||||
| Proton pump inhibitor | 14 (36) | 10 (29) | 15 (40) | .611 |
| Metformin | 4 (10) | 0 | 2 (5) | .165 |
| Laxative | 2 (5) | 2 (5) | 0 | .351 |
| ACE inhibitor | 7 (17) | 10 (29) | 21 (55) | .001 |
| Beta blocker | 8 (19) | 11 (31) | 18 (47) | .025 |
| Platelet aggregation inhibitor | 6 (14) | 2 (6) | 13 (34) | .005 |
| Statin | 8 (19) | 4 (11) | 10 (26) | .271 |
| Steroid | 6 (14) | 2 (6) | 4 (11) | .514 |
| Remdesivir | 0 | 0 | 3 (8) | .041 |
| Antibiotics | 1 (2) | 0 | 3 (8) | .156 |
Data are presented as numbers (%) unless otherwise indicated. Metric variables were tested using t-test with mean ± SD. Fisher’s exact test was used for categorical variables. ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; SD, standard deviation.