Table 1.
Baseline patient characteristics.
| Total (N = 71) | MPP group (N = 34) | Control group (N = 37) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 58.4 (48.1–69.0) | 61.1 (49.9–66.2) | 57.4 (45.8–69.4) | 0.85 |
| Sex, male (%) | 49 (69) | 26 (76.5) | 23 (62.2) | 0.19 |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | ||||
| Caucasian | 43 (60.6) | 21 (61.8) | 22 (59.5) | |
| Hispanic | 24 (33.8) | 10 (29.4) | 14 (37.8) | 0.40 |
| Other | 4 (5.6) | 3 (8.8) | 1 (2.7) | |
| Body mass index | 28.7 (26.4–30.5) | 28.9 (27.0–30.3) | 27.6 (24.5–31.2) | 0.24 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | ||||
| Never smoker | 45 (63.4) | 21 (61.8) | 24 (53.3) | 0.78 |
| Former smoker | 24 (33.8) | 13 (38.2) | 11 (29.7) | 0.45 |
| Current smoker | 2 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.44) | 0.49 |
| Arterial hypertension, n (%) | 23 (32.4) | 11 (32.4) | 12 (32.4) | 0.99 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 13 (18.3) | 8 (23.5) | 5 (13.5) | 0.27 |
| Renal failure, n (%) | 5 (7) | 3 (8.8) | 2 (5.4) | 0.66 |
| Heart failure, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Respiratory disease, n (%) | 6 (8.5) | 2 (5.9) | 4 (10.8) | 0.67 |
| COPD | 1 (1.4) | 1 (2.9) | 0 (0) | |
| Asthma | 2 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.4) | 0.35 |
| Other# | 3 (4.2) | 1 (2.9) | 2 (5.4) | |
| Previous cancer, n (%) | 3 (4.2) | 2 (5.9) | 1 (2.7) | 0.60 |
| Charlson index | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 0.44 |
| Ongoing pharmacological treatment, n (%) | ||||
| Oral antidiabetics | 11 (15.5) | 6 (17.6) | 5 (13.5) | 0.63 |
| Insulin | 5 (7.0) | 3 (8.8) | 2 (5.4) | 0.66 |
| ACEI or ARB | 16 (22.5) | 7 (20.6) | 9 (24.3) | 0.71 |
| Inhaled corticosteroids | 2 (2.8) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.4) | 0.49 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Other | 37 (52.1) | 18 (52.9) | 19 (51.4) | 0.89 |
| Time from symptom onset, days | 9 (8–10) | 9 (7–10) | 9 (8–11) | 0.20 |
| Oxygen saturation, % | 95 (95–96) | 95 (95–96) | 96 (94.5–96.5) | 0.51 |
| SpO2/FiO2 | 452 (447–457) | 452 (447–457) | 452 (448–457) | 0.81 |
| PaO2, mmHg | 73.1 (68.2–80.2) | 73.0 (70.8–86.2) | 73.2 (67.0–77.1) | 0.32 |
| Chest X-ray, n (%) | ||||
| Lobar pneumonia | 13 (18.3) | 7 (20.6) | 6 (16.2) | |
| Bilobar pneumonia | 27 (38.0) | 12 (35.3) | 15 (40.5) | 0.96 |
| Multilobar pneumonia | 29 (40.8) | 14 (41.2) | 15 (40.5) | |
| Consolidations | 2 (2.8) | 1 (2.9) | 1 (2.7) | |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| Lymphocyte count, 109/L | 1,150 (900–1,530) | 1,110 (800–1,625) | 1,200 (980–1,450) | 0.88 |
| Platelet count, 1012/L | 211 (162–300) | 205.5 (158–288) | 223 (169–310) | 0.30 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 93.0 (66.5–126.0) | 92.7 (65.0–122.9) | 95.2 (68.9–130.6) | 0.83 |
| Ferritin, μg/L | 743.0 (393.2–1172.9) | 737.0 (383.1–1169.0) | 754.0 (398.5–1173.9) | 0.83 |
| Interleukin-6, pg/ml | 30.7 (17.4–48.2) | 34.8 (18.1–48.7) | 28.7 (15.8–47.0) | 0.53 |
| LDH, IU/L | 296.0 (253.0–358.2) | 294.5 (260.0–373.2) | 301.0 (251.5–355.2) | 0.89 |
| D-dimer, ng/ml | 563.5 (400.0–812.0) | 630.0 (414.5–954.0) | 534.0 (391.0–723.0) | 0.45 |
Quantitative data are expressed as median (interquartile range) and categorical data as number of patients (%).
MPP, methylprednisolone pulses; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ACEI, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin-receptor blocker; SpO2/FiO2, ratio between the peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and the fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2); PaO2, arterial partial pressure of oxygen; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase.
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Including two cases of bronchiectasis and one case of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.