Table 1.
Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 negative and positive patients linked to COVID-19 disease severity.
| Variables | SARS-CoV-2 negative | Non-severe | Severe | P-Valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients | 23 | 21 | 9 | |
| Age, years, mean ± SD | 59 ± 23 | 52 ± 19 | 73 ± 9 | .029 |
| Sex, male | 17 (74) | 6 (29) | 3 (33) | .006 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean ± SD | 30 ± 9 | 28 ± 5 | 29 ± 7 | .591 |
| Smoker | 9 (41) | 4 (19) | 1 (13) | .229 |
| Outcome & Complications | ||||
| Length of hospitalization, mean ± SD | 7 ± 9 | 6 ± 8 | 14 ± 12 | .091 |
| Time between hospitalization & rectal swab, Days, mean ± SD | 2 ± 4 | 2 ± 5 | 1 ± 1 | .741 |
| Admission to intensive care unit | 0 | 0 | 3 (33) | .004 |
| Deceased | 1 (4) | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Acute symptoms | ||||
| Diarrhea | 2 (9) | 8 (38) | 3 (33) | .040 |
| Odor disorder | 0 | 9 (43) | 1 (11) | .001 |
| Fever | 3 (13) | 10 (48) | 7 (78) | .001 |
| Cough | 5 (22) | 12 (60) | 6 (67) | .017 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Pre-existing illness | 21 (96) | 17 (81) | 9 (100) | .186 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 8 (35) | 3 (14) | 4 (44) | .155 |
| Coronary heart disease | 6 (26) | 1 (5) | 2 (22) | .130 |
| Hypertension | 15 (68) | 5 (24) | 6 (67) | .008 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 4 (17) | 1 (5) | 3 (33) | .105 |
| Solid organ transplantation | 0 | 2 (10) | 0 | .477 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 6 (26) | 2 (10) | 2 (22) | .374 |
| Malignancy | 6 (26) | 5 (24) | 1 (11) | .826 |
| Medication at timepoint of sampling | ||||
| Proton pump inhibitor | 11 (50) | 8 (38) | 5 (56) | .618 |
| Metformin | 3 (13) | 0 | 1 (11) | .216 |
| Laxatives | 0 | 1 (5) | 0 | .577 |
| ACE inhibitor | 13 (62) | 3 (14) | 6 (67) | .002 |
| Beta Blocker | 12 (55) | 5 (24) | 4 (44) | .106 |
| Platelet aggregation inhibitor | 6 (26) | 2 (10) | 4 (44) | .089 |
| Statin | 5 (23) | 3 (14) | 1 (11) | .708 |
| Steroid | 4 (17) | 6 (29) | 2 (22) | .757 |
| Thyroid hormone substitution | 5 (23) | 5 (24) | 3 (33) | .833 |
| Remdesivir | 0 | 0 | 1 (11) | .417 |
| Antibiotics | 0 | 0 | 1 (11) | .170 |
Data are presented in number (percentage) unless otherwise indicated. Mean ± SD is used for metric variables. aUsing One- way ANOVA for metric, Fisher’s exact test and Kruskalli- Wallis test for categorial variables. ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; SD, standard deviation.