Table 1.
Baseline demographics and characteristics of all patients.
| Variables | All (n = 63) | Day-7 Clinical Improvement | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 42) | No (n = 21) | |||
| Age, median (range), year | 48 (22–85) | 47 (23–72) | 59 (22–85) | 0.02 |
| Male sex | 39 (61.9%) | 25 (59.5%) | 14 (66.7%) | 0.78 |
| Body weight, median (range), kg | 69 (45–125) | 68 (51–125) | 76 (45–120) | 0.08 |
| Body mass index median (range), kg/m2 | 26.1 (19.0–43.8) |
25.0 (19.0–43.8) |
27.9 (20.8–39.2) |
0.04 |
| Duration between, median (range), day | ||||
| Symptom onset and admission date | 6 (0–28) | 6 (0–28) | 8 (0–15) | 0.08 |
| Admission date and Day 1 of favipiravir therapy | 1 (−8–10) | 1 (−3–10) | 0 (-8–5) | 0.002 |
| Symptom onset and Day 1 of favipiravir therapy | 8 (0–28) | 8 (2–28) | 8 (0–11) | 0.60 |
| Exposure risk | ||||
| Contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases | 26 (41.3%) | 19 (45.2%) | 7 (33.3%) | 0.42 |
| Travel abroad | 7 (11.1%) | 5 (11.2%) | 2 (9.5%) | 1.00 |
| Contact with a foreigner | 11 (17.5%) | 8 (19.1%) | 3 (14.3%) | 0.74 |
| Travel to a local area with clustered cases | 38 (60.3%) | 28 (66.7%) | 10 (47.6%) | 0.18 |
| Underlying diseases | ||||
| Heart disease and hypertension | 9 (14.3%) | 7 (16.7%) | 2 (9.5%) | 0.71 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 17 (27.0%) | 11 (26.2%) | 6 (28.6%) | 1.00 |
| Chronic lung disease | 4 (6.4%) | 2 (7.1%) | 1 (4.8%) | 1.00 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 4 (6.4%) | 3 (7.1%) | 1 (4.8%) | 1.00 |
| Chronic liver disease | 3 (4.8%) | 3 (7.1%) | 0 (0%) | 0.55 |
| Solid cancer | 4 (6.4%) | 2 (7.1%) | 1 (4.8%) | 1.00 |
| Others | 4 (6.4%) | 2 (7.1%) | 2 (9.5%) | 0.60 |
| Clinical presentation upon admission | ||||
| Fever or body temperature of >37.5 °C | 55 (87.3%) | 36 (85.7%) | 19 (90.5%) | 0.71 |
| Sore throat | 44 (69.8%) | 27 (64.3%) | 17 (81.0%) | 0.25 |
| Rhinorrhea | 16 (25.4%) | 13 (31.0%) | 3 (14.3%) | 0.22 |
| Cough | 47 (74.6%) | 30 (71.4%) | 17 (81.0%) | 0.54 |
| Headache | 11 (17.5%) | 8 (19.1%) | 3 (14.3%) | 0.74 |
| Myalgia | 17 (27.0%) | 12 (28.6%) | 5 (23.8%) | 0.77 |
| Diarrhea | 8 (12.7%) | 6 (14.3%) | 2 (9.5%) | 0.71 |
| Shortness of breath | 27 (42.9%) | 14 (33.3%) | 13 (61.9%) | 0.06 |
| Illness severity at the time of favipiravir initiation | ||||
| NEWS2 score, median (range) | 5 (0–16) | 4 (0–11) | 5 (0–16) | 0.003 |
| Six-point disease severity scale, median (range) | 2.5 (1–5) | 2 (1–4) | 3 (2–5) | <0.001 |
| 1—No O2 supplementation with O2 saturation >94% | 4 (6.4%) | 4 (6.4%) | 0 (0) | <0.001 |
| 2—No O2 supplementation with O2 saturation ≤94% | 23 (36.4%) | 21 (50.0%) | 2 (9.5%) | |
| 3—Requiring O2 supplementation | 28 (44.4%) | 16 (40.1%) | 12 (57.1%) | |
| 4—Requiring high-flow O2 supplementation or non-invasive mechanical ventilation | 4 (6.4%) | 1 (2.4%) | 3 (14.3%) | |
| 5—Requiring invasive mechanical ventilation and/or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation | 4 (6.4%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (19.1%) | |
| Baseline laboratory values * | ||||
| Hemoglobin, median (range), (mg/dl) | 14.0 (8.0–18.0) | 14.0 (9.0–17.0) | 13.5 (8.0–18.0) | 0.48 |
| White blood cell count, median (range), (cell/mm3) | 5735 (2910–41300) |
5420 (2910–41300) |
6810 (3180–15750) |
0.03 |
| Serum creatinine, median (range), (mg/dl) | 0.9 (0.3–22.9) (n = 58) |
0.9 (0.4–22.9) (n = 27) |
0.9 (0.33–5.1) (n = 21) |
0.67 |
| Serum albumin, median (range), (mg/dl) | 4.0 (1.8–4.9) (n = 53) |
4.2 (1.8–5.0) (n = 33) |
3.5 (2.6–4.1) (n = 20) |
0.002 |
| Serum lactate dehydrogenase, median (range), (mg/dl) | 404 (145–1094) (n = 30) |
382 (145–567) (n = 17) |
453 (313–1094) (n = 13) |
0.03 |
| Indication of favipiravir therapy | ||||
| Abnormal chest imaging only | 26 (41.3%) | 24 (57.1%) | 2 (9.5%) | <0.001 |
| Required O2 supplementation only | 3 (4.7%) | 2 (4.7%) | 1 (4.8%) | |
| Abnormal chest X-ray and required O2 supplementation | 34 (54.0%) | 16 (38.1%) | 18 (85.7%) | |
| Favipiravir regimen | ||||
| Dose per body weight, median (range), mg/kg/day | ||||
| Loading dose | 47.4 (29.1–71.1) |
49.2 (29.1–62.7) |
45.7 (29.6–71.1) |
0.47 |
| Maintenance dose | 17.9 (10.9–26.7) |
18.5 (10.9–23.5) |
17.1 (11.1–26.7) |
0.37 |
| Potentially sub-therapeutic dose | ||||
| Loading dose of ≤45 MKD | 21 (33.3%) | 11 (26.2%) | 10 (47.6%) | 0.10 |
| Maintenance dose of ≤15 MKD | 48 (76.2%) | 33 (78.6%) | 15 (71.4%) | 0.55 |
| Duration of therapy, median (range), day | 12 (2–17) | 11.5 (2–16) | 12 (2–17) | 0.02 |
| Other medications used ** | ||||
| Any chloroquine-based agent | 62 (98.4%) | 41 (97.6%) | 21 (100%) | 1.00 |
| Hydroxychloroquine | 54 (85.7%) | 36 (85.7%) | 18 (85.7%) | 1.00 |
| Chloroquine | 14 (22.2%) | 8 (19.1%) | 6 (28.6%) | 0.52 |
| Any protease inhibitor | 61 (96.8%) | 40 (95.2%) | 21 (100,0%) | 0.55 |
| Darunavir/ritonavir | 51 (81.0%) | 35 (83.3%) | 16 (76.2%) | 0.51 |
| Lopinavir/ritonavir | 22 (34.9%) | 13 (31.0%) | 9 (42.9%) | 0.26 |
| Azithromycin | 31 (49.2%) | 17 (40.5%) | 14 (66.7%) | 0.06 |
| Steroid | 8 (12.7%) | 5 (11.9%) | 3 (14.3%) | 1.00 |
| Tocilizumab | 4 (6.4%) | 1 (2.4%) | 3 (14.3%) | 0.10 |
Note. * Earliest results of a test obtained within the first 7 days of admission (missing data were replaced by the mean value of the variable). ** Medications used within 2 days before or after the initiation of favipiravir therapy.