Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
| Variable | Healthy Controls [in vitro subgroup] | COVID-19 ICU [in vitro subgroup] | P value* [subgroup] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants (n) | 12 [5] | 16 [6] | - [-] |
| Female sex (n; %) | 6 (50) [3 (60)] | 1 (6.3) [1 (17)] | 0.008 [0.14] |
| Age (years, median (IQR)) | 53 (45-60) [57 (53-70)] | 62 (56-72) [59 (55-67)] | 0.06 [0.89] |
| BMI (kg/m2, median (IQR)) | 25 (23-29) [25 (24-33)] | 27 (24-32) [28 (27-33)] | 0.39 [0.43] |
| SOFA score (pts, median (IQR)) | - - | 9.5 (5.3-15.8) [9.5 (4.5-15.75)] | - [-] |
| LWMH/Heparin (n; %) | - - | 11 (68.75) [4 (66)] | - [-] |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation (n; %) | - - | 14 (87.5) [6 (100)] | - [-] |
| In-hospital mortality (n; %) | - - | 6 (37.5) [4 (67)] | - [-] |
| Sublingual microscopy (median (IQR)) | |||
| PBR4-25 (µm) | 2.18 (2.1-2.23) [2.11 (2.06-2.21)] | 2.39 (2.13-2.52) [2.44 (2.25-2.58)] | 0.016 [0.028] |
| Endothelial glycocalyx markers (median (IQR)) | |||
| Heparanase activity (AU) | 0.92 (0.68-1.23) [0.99 (0.78-1.72)] | 2.26 (1.67-2.97) [2.58 (2.05-3.77)] | <0.0001 [0.015] |
| Heparan sulfate (AU) | 11.6 (2.2-80.0) [28.4 (11.01-157.6)] | 154.5 (85.3-408.8) [127.4 (62.2-258.5)] | 0.0004 [0.33] |
| Syndecan-1 (ng/ml) | 18.2 (15.1-24.91) [19.01 (15.38-52.9)] | 219.8 (161.2-249.7) [248.9 (244.5-256.2)] | <0.0001 [0.004] |
| Hyaluronic acid (ng/ml) | 78.74 (75.48-85.63) [75.95 (73.08-81.91)] | 240.6 (173.7-541.9) [213.5 (165.6-346.0)] | <0.0001 [0.004] |
| Laboratory values (median (IQR)) | |||
| CRP (mg/dl) | <0.5 [<0.5] | 14.2 (11.0-22.3) [11.1 (6.6-17.6)] | <0.0001 [0.008] |
| IL-6 (pg/ml) | <2 [<2] | 79.5 (52.3-200.8) [80 (49.0-107.0)] | <0.0001 [0.004] |
| PCT (ng/ml) | <0.5 [<0.5] | 1.27 (0.47-5.05) [1.7 (0.17-8.81)] | 0.031 [0.68] |
| Angpt-2 (ng/ml) | 1.04 (0.54-2.07) [1.74 (0.74-2.13)] | 6.44 (4.48-6.62) [6.44 (4.83-6.44)] | <0.0001 [0.004] |
| aPTT (s) | 36 (34.5-37) [37 (34-37.5)] | 42.5 (39.25-56.5) [46.5 (40.5-61.5)] | <0.0001 [0.004] |
| D-Dimers (mg/l) | <0.5 [<0.5] | 4.02 (2.44-8.64) [6.7 (2.51-11.71)] | <0.0001 [0.069] |
Differences between groups were calculated by Mann-Whitney U test or Chi-square test, as appropriate.
* p value between healthy controls and COVID-19 ICU.
COVID-19, Coronavirus disease 2019; BMI, Body mass index; SOFA score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score; LMWH, low molecular weight heparin; IQR, interquartile range; PBR, Perfused boundary region; MVHS, Microvascular Health Score; AU, arbitrary unit; CRP, C-reactive protein; IL-6, Interleukin-6; PCT, Procalcitonin; Angpt-2, Angiopoietin-2; aPTT, activated partial thromboplastin time.