TABLE 1.
| Characteristic | No. of patients (n = 118) |
|---|---|
| Demographics | |
| Female sex, n (%) | 43 (36) |
| Age (yrs), median (IQR) | 71 (56, 78) |
| Residence in nursing home, n (%) | 8 (6.8) |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 36 (31) |
| Alcohol misuse, n (%) | 18 (15) |
| Coexisting disorder, n (%) | |
| Any | 102 (86) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 34 (29) |
| Heart failure | 24 (20) |
| Active neoplasia | 23 (20) |
| Diabetes | 20 (17) |
| Asthma | 18 (15) |
| Neurological disorderb | 17 (14) |
| Chronic renal failurec | 17 (14) |
| Immunosuppressive treatment | 16 (14) |
| Otherd | 10 (8.4) |
| Symptoms, n (%) | |
| Expectoration | 82 (85) |
| Dyspnea | 78 (76) |
| History of fever | 66 (64) |
| Thoracic pain | 20 (24) |
| Signs in emergency department | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg), median (IQR) | 124 (110, 137) |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg), median (IQR) | 72 (64, 81) |
| Heart rate (bpm), median (IQR) | 90 (80, 100) |
| Respiratory rate (vpm), median (IQR) | 21 (18, 25) |
| Oxygen saturation (%), median (IQR) | 94 (92, 96) |
| Temp (°C), median (IQR) | 37 (37, 38) |
| Abnormal lung auscultation, n (%) | 82 (75) |
| Severity score, n (%) | |
| CURB-65 ≥ 2 | 47 (50) |
| qSOFA ≥ 2 | 17 (17) |
| Laboratory findings at first consultation | |
| Leukocyte count (g/L), median (IQR) | 11 (8, 15) |
| CRP (mg/L), median (IQR) | 74 (29, 154) |
| Creatinine (μmol/L), median (IQR) | 86 (71, 122) |
| Radiology, n (%) | |
| Infiltrate on chest imaginge | 88 (75) |
| Antibiotics administration, n (%) | |
| Antibiotics administrated | 108 (96) |
| Antibiotics before LRT sample collectionf | 55 (47) |
| Clinical outcome, n (%) | |
| Hospital admission | 97 (87) |
| Intensive care unit admission | 13 (11) |
| Intubation | 10 (8) |
| Death | 4 (3.3) |
a
IQR, interquartile range; BP, blood pressure; bpm, beat per minute; vpm, ventilation per minute; CRP, C-reactive protein; LRT, lower respiratory tract.
b
Cerebrovascular disease, dementia, Parkinson.
c
KDIGO stage ≥ G3a.
d
Terminal renal failure or dialysis (n = 2), hepatic failure (n = 3), HIV infection (n = 5).
e
All participants had a chest imaging performed (29% a CT scan, 71% only a radiography).
f
12/55 were started >48 h before sample collection.
g
Missing values: smoking status 1, CURB-65 23, qSOFA 19, fever 14, expectoration 21, dyspnea 15, thoracic pain 33, auscultation status 9, respiratory rate 19, oxygen saturation 5, fraction of inspired oxygen 3, leukocytes 5, CRP 2, urea 10, creatinine 2.