Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the study population
| CAP (n = 115) | Controls (n = 68) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Age, y, median (IQR) | 69 (60–78) | 70 (64–75) | 0.42 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 64 (55.7) | 40 (58.8) | 0.79 |
| Caucasian ethnicity, n (%) | 84 (73.7) | 59 (88.1) | 0.29 |
| Body Mass Index, median (IQR) | 24.8 (21.3–28.1) | 26.3 (24.7–28.9) | 0.01 |
| Never smoked, n(%) | 36 (31.6) | 28 (41.2) | 0.42 |
| Non-vegetarian diet, n (%) | 105 (92.9) | 67 (98.5) | 0.18 |
| Prior antibioticsa, n (%) | 16 (13.9) | 3 (4.4) | 0.07 |
| Influenza vaccination, n (%) | 67 (59.3) | 23 (33.8) | <0.01 |
| Chronic comorbidity, n (%) | |||
| COPD | 35 (30.4) | 5 (7.4) | <0.01 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 87 (75.7) | 42 (61.8) | 0.07 |
| Diabetes | 32 (27.8) | 9 (13.2) | 0.04 |
| Malignancy | 40 (34.8) | 15 (22.1) | 0.10 |
| Immunosuppressed stateb | 30 (26.1) | 5 (7.4) | <0.01 |
| Gastrointestinal disease | 18 (15.7) | 4 (5.9) | 0.08 |
| Chronic renal disease | 14 (12.2) | 3 (4.4) | 0.14 |
| Severity of disease on admission | |||
| PSI, median (IQR) | 4 (3–4) | ||
| qSOFA, median (IQR) | 1 (0–1) | ||
| Outcome | |||
| Intensive Care Unit admission, n (%) | 9 (7.9) | ||
| Length of hospital stay, days, median (IQR) | 4 (3–8) | ||
| 28-day mortality | 5 (4.5) | ||
CAP, community-acquired pneumonia; IQR, interquartile range; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; PSI, pneumonia severity index; qSOFA, quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment.
a
Exposure to oral or systemic antibiotics between 90 days and 48 h prior to admission.
b
Immunosuppressed state was defined as clinically suspected or proven immunodeficiency, the use of immunosuppressive therapy or immunomodulating medication in the past 3 months, including chemotherapy or the use of more than 10mg prednisone or equivalent each day for the past 3 months.