Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of notified and non-notified Q fever patients
| Notified Q fever patients | Non-notified Q fever patients | Difference* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | (n = 448) | (n = 193) | P value |
| Male sex, % | 57·6 | 45·1 | 0·004 |
| Age (years), mean (±s.d.) | 54·4 (12·4) | 50·2 (15·3) | <0·001 |
| Educational level†, % | 0·883 | ||
| Low | 47·8 | 49·1 | |
| Middle | 28·9 | 29·6 | |
| High | 23·2 | 21·3 | |
| Comorbidity‡, % | 51·1 | 52·6 | 0·731 |
| Additional treatment for Q fever§, % | |||
| Psychological guidance | 4·5 | 5·8 | |
| Cognitive Behavioural Therapy | 3·4 | 4·8 | |
| Graded Exercise Therapy | 4·5 | 5·8 | |
| Additional treatment with antibiotics | 11·0 | 6·3 | |
| Other | 7·1 | 5·8 |
For age, the difference between the groups was tested using an independent-samples t test. For the other characteristics, Pearson's χ2 test was used. We did not test the difference for the characteristic ‘Additional treatment for Q fever’.
Educational level for notified Q fever patients was available for patients that participated in a study by Morroy et al. (n = 370) [7]. For the non-notified Q fever patients, this question was included only in the 2013 questionnaire, i.e. patients with a laboratory confirmation in 2009 (n = 169).
Comorbidity can be either a serious medical event or medical intervention in the past 5 years (e.g. cancer, heart attack, pacemaker), or a chronic illness (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, diabetes); n = 446 for the notified group and n = 192 for the non-notified group.
Additional treatment for long-lasting health effects of Q fever (e.g. fatigue). This information was self-reported by the patients; n = 446 for the notified group and n = 189 for the non-notified group.