TABLE 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients at randomisation
| Placebo + standard | Methylprednisolone pulses + standard | |
| Patients | 150 | 151 |
| Age, years | 64.0 (55.0–72.2) | 64.0 (54.0–74.0) |
| Male | 106 (70.7) | 111 (73.5) |
| Days from symptom onset to randomisation | 8.0 (6.0–10.0) | 9.0 (6.0–11.0) |
| Days from pneumonia diagnosis to randomisation | 1.0 (1.0–2.0) | 1.0 (1.0–2.0) |
| PaO2/FiO2, mmHg | 204.0 (158.0–243.0) | 208.0 (158.0–248.0) |
| Respiratory rate, breaths·min −1 | 20.0 (18.0–24.0) | 20.5 (18.0–24.0) |
| CRP, mg·dL−1 | 10.9 (7.6–14.6) | 10.6 (7.3–14.9) |
| Modality of oxygen administration | ||
| Supplemental standard oxygen | 101 (67.3) | 104 (68.9) |
| NIV or high-flow oxygen | 49 (32.7) | 47 (31.1) |
| Coexisting conditions | ||
| Diabetes mellitus | 19 (12.7) | 26 (17.2) |
| Hypertension | 74 (49.3) | 83 (55.0) |
| COPD | 8 (5.3) | 5 (3.3) |
| Heart failure | 7 (4.7) | 9 (6.0) |
| Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg·m−2) | 35/112 (31.3) | 34/121 (28.1) |
| Other treatments # | ||
| Glucocorticoids | 135 (90.0) | 131 (86.8) |
| Remdesivir | 27 (18.0) | 19 (12.6) |
| Antibiotics | 41 (27.3) | 40 (26.5) |
| LMWH | 117 (78.0) | 120 (79.5) |
Data are presented as n, median (interquartile range) or n (%). PaO2: arterial oxygen tension; FiO2: inspiratory oxygen fraction; CRP: C-reactive protein; NIV: noninvasive ventilation; BMI: body mass index; LMWH: low-molecular-weight heparin. #: any treatments administered during the period from the onset of symptoms until randomisation.