Table 2.
Comparison of demographic, clinical, and biochemical characteristics upon admission and outcomes in three successive periods of the pandemic
| Total (n = 22,566) | T1 (n = 15,976) | T2 (n = 4,233) | T3 (n = 2,357) | P value a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||||
| Age (years) | 69 [56–80] | 69 [56–79] | 70 [57–82] b | 68 [56–79] | < 0.001 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 13,005 (57.6) | 9,161 (57.3) | 2,423 (57.2) | 1,421 (60.3) b | 0.022 |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 4,673 (30.7) | 3,160 (19.8) | 1,043 (24.7) b | 470 (20) | < 0.001 |
| COPD/Asthma, n (%) | 3,050 (13.5) | 2,124 (13.3) | 591 (14) | 335 (14.2) | 0.326 |
| Heart failure, n (%) | 1,563 (6.9) | 1,104 (6.9) | 289 (6.8) | 173 (7.3) | 0.670 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 11,760 (52.2) | 8,193 (51.3) | 2,337 (55.2) b | 1,230 (52.2) | < 0.001 |
| Myocardial infarction, n (%) | 1,313 (5.8) | 899 (5.6) | 270 (6.4) | 144 (6.1) | 0.151 |
| Atrial fibrillation, n (%) | 2,505 (11.1) | 1,752 (11) | 504 (11.9) | 249 (10.6) | 0.157 |
| Moderate–severe kidney disease, n (%) | 1,366 (6.1) | 946 (5.9) | 286 (6.8) | 134 (5.7) | 0.097 |
| Cancer, n (%) | 2,220 (9.9) | 1,608 (10.1) | 418 (9.9) | 194 (8.2) b | 0.018 |
| Clinical and analytical assessment in ED | |||||
| SpO2 < 90%, n (%) | 4,990 (22.1) | 3,590 (22.5) | 766 (18.1) b | 634 (26.9) b | < 0.001 |
| NPR | 0.024 [0.017–0.034] | 0.024 [0.017–0.034] | 0.024 [0.017–0.035] | 0.026 [0.018–0.036] b | < 0.001 |
| NLR | 4.9 [3–8.4] | 4.9 [3–8.2] | 4.8 [2.9–8.4] | 5.7 [3.4–9.7] b | < 0.001 |
| CRP (mg/L) | 65 [22.5–131] | 62 [20.3–130.4] | 65 [23.2–125] | 86.9 [42.9–144] b | < 0.001 |
| Outcome | |||||
| ICU admission, n (%) | 2,150 (9.5) | 1,481 (9.3) | 451 (10.7) b | 218 (9.2) | 0.022 |
| Mortality, n (%) | 4,238 (18.8) | 3,113 (19.5) | 702 (16.6) b | 423 (17.9) | < 0.001 |
| RIM Score | |||||
| RIM Score NPR Model | 0.05 [0.01–0.18] | 0.05 [0.01–0.18] | 0.06 [0.01–0.19] b | 0.06 [0.02–0.19] b | 0.003 |
Expressed values: Median and [interquartile range]. Percentage is by columns.
a Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test and quantitative variables using the Kruskal–Wallis Test (K. Smirnov < 0.05).
b Indicates a significant difference with respect to the first period. Significant differences are shown in bold.
T1 first time period from February 1 to June 10, 2020, T2 second time period from June 11 to 31 December 31, 2020, T3 third time period from January 1 to December 5, 2021; COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, SpO2 < 90% oxygen saturation less than 90%, NPR neutrophil-to-platelet ratio, NLR neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, CRP C-reactive protein, ICU intensive care unit.