Table 4.
Vital signs, laboratory findings, and radiologic findings of hospitalized COVID-19 adult patients with positive and negative rectal swabs, respectively.
| Positive rectal swab | Negative rectal swab | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N = 22 (53.7%) | N = 19 (46.3%) | ||
| Vital signs | |||
| PaO2, kPa, median (range)a | 8.75 (5.4–12) | 8.8 (4.7–15.1) | 0.51 |
| Peripheral oxygen saturation, %, median (range) | 94 (90–100) | 95 (89–99) | 0.73 |
| Temperature, °C, median (CI) | 37.3 (37.2–38.1) | 37 (37.0–38.0) | 0.79 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mm Hg, median (range) | 136 (114–192) | 134 (96–162) | 0.24 |
| Laboratory findings | |||
| Leucocytes,109/l, median (range) | 6.1 (0.2–23.6) | 8.6 (2.8–12.6) | 0.83 |
| Increased (>10.0), N (%) | 6 (27.3) | 6 (31.6) | 1.00 |
| Decreased (<3.5), N (%) | 5 (22.7) | 2 (10.5) | 0.54 |
| Platelets,109/l, median (range) | 196 (33–519) | 249 (96–435) | 0.48 |
| Increased (>400), N (%) | 2 (9.1) | 2 (10.5) | 1.00 |
| Decreased (<145), N (%) | 8 (36.4) | 5 (26.3) | 0.72 |
| CRP, mg/l, median (range)a | 76 (5.4–260) | 69.5 (18–181) | 0.91 |
| Normal (<10 mg/l), N (%) | 2 (9.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0.52 |
| Mildly elevated (10–19 mg/l), N (%) | 2 (9.5) | 1 (5.6) | |
| Moderately elevated (20–59 mg/l), N (%) | 6 (28.6) | 7 (38.9) | |
| Severely elevated (60–300 mg/l), N (%) | 11 (52.4) | 10 (55.6) | |
| D-dimer, mg/l, median (range)a | 1.35 (0.36–22.9) | 0.92 (0.31–19.4) | 0.26 |
| Increased (>0.50), N (%) | 13 (92.9) | 9 (69.2) | 0.28 |
| Ferritin, μg/l, median (range) | 605 (45–3767) | 716 (30–1700) | 0.73 |
| Increased (>355), N (%) | 17 (77.3) | 14 (73.7) | 1.00 |
| LDH, U/l, median (range) | 272 (143–555) | 286 (164–454) | 0.99 |
| Increased (>255), N (%) | 12 (54.5) | 14 (73.7) | 0.35 |
| ALAT, U/l, median (range) | 26 (10–164) | 45 (19–110) | 0.087 |
| Increased (>50), N (%) | 5 (22.7) | 7 (36.8) | 0.52 |
| Total bilirubin, μmol/l, median (range) | 7.5 (4–24) | 9 (4–28) | 0.79 |
| Increased (>25), N (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (5.3) | 0.94 |
| Decreased (<5), N (%) | 1 (4.5) | 1 (5.3) | 1.00 |
| Creatinine, μmol/l, median (range) | 75 (46–123) | 77 (41–132) | 0.89 |
| Increased (>105), N (%) | 4 (18.2) | 2 (10.5) | 0.80 |
| Decreased (<45), N (%) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (5.3) | 0.94 |
| Infiltrates on chest X-ray, N (%) | |||
| Yes | 17 (77.3) | 15 (78.9) | 1.00 |
| No | 4 (18.2) | 4 (21.1) | 1.00 |
| Not investigated | 1 (4.5) | 0 (0.0) | 1.00 |
All the laboratory findings were obtained from the time of inclusion in the study. Threshold values of the biochemical data are based on guidelines provided to the healthcare services in the North Denmark Region.
Patients were excluded from the statistical analysis because of undetectable or missing values. For PaO2, the statistical analysis was based on 18 rectal positive patients and 16 rectal negative patients. When measuring PaO2, 61.1% rectal positive patients and 43.8% rectal negative patients received oxygen supply. When measuring saturation, 50.0% rectal positive patients and 52.6% rectal negative patients received oxygen supply. The oxygen supply ranged from 1 to 15 l. For CRP, the statistical analysis was based on 21 rectal positive patients and 18 rectal negative patients. For D-dimer, the statistical analysis was based on 14 rectal positive patients and 13 rectal negative patients. CI, Confidence interval; kPa, Kilopascal; PaO2, The partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood; CRP, C-reactive protein; LDH, Lactate dehydrogenase; ALAT, Alanine aminotransferase.