Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study participants
| Variables | All patients N = 969 | Early dexamethasone N = 611 | No steroids N = 358 | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General features | ||||
| Age, years, median [IQR] | 66.00 [56.00–72.00] | 67.00 [59.00–73.00] | 65.00 [54.00–71.00] | 0.0001 |
| Males, n (%) | 701 (72.34) | 446 (73.00) | 255 (71.23) | 0.55 |
| Body mass index, kg·m−2) ≥ 30, n (%) | 397 (41.53) | 261 (43.36) | 136 (38.42) | 0.13 |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 51 (5.33) | 25 (4.14) | 26 (7.37) | 0.03 |
| Alcohol use, n (%) | 68 (7.11) | 50 (8.28) | 18 (5.10) | 0.06 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Diabetes, n (%) | 289 (29.82) | 181 (29.62) | 108 (30.17) | 0.86 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 508 (52.43) | 331 (54.17) | 177 (49.44) | 0.15 |
| Heart disease, n (%) | 155 (16.00) | 109 (17.84) | 46 (12.85) | 0.04 |
| Underlying immunosuppression, n (%) | 131 (13.52) | 94 (15.38) | 37 (10.34) | 0.03 |
| Charlson’s index, median [IQR] | 3.00 [2.00–5.00] | 4.00 [2.00–5.00] | 3.00 [1.00–5.00] | < 0.001 |
| Days since COVID-19 symptom onset, median [IQR] | 8.00 [6.00–11.00] | 8.00 [6.00–11.00] | 8.00 [6.00–11.00] | 0.90 |
| Location before ICU admission, n (%) | ||||
| Ward | 483 (49.85) | 304 (49.75) | 179 (50.00) | 0.12 |
| Emergency department | 429 (44.27) | 278 (45.50) | 151 (42.18) | |
| Pre-hospital emergency medical service | 57 (5.88) | 29 (4.75) | 28 (7.82) | |
IQR interquartile range