Baseline characteristics and 21 day adverse outcome (death or development of ARDS requiring intensive care) of historical controls and treatment group
| Historical controls (n = 111) | Treatment group (n = 41) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NPA = nasopharyngeal aspirate; WBC = white blood cell; LDH = lactate dehydrogenase; ARDS = acute respiratory distress syndrome. | |||
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 42.1 (14.7) | 39.4 (15.2) | 0.32 |
| Male:female ratio | 48:63 | 10:31 | 0.039 |
| Active co-morbid condition | 22 (19.8%) | 6 (14.6%) | 0.464 |
| Chronic hepatitis B infection | 11 (9.9%) | 1 (2.4%) | 0.182 |
| Mean (SD) duration of symptoms to admission (days) | 2.61 (2.3) | 1.85 (1.5) | 0.05 |
| Apparently normal chest radiograph on admission | 23 (20.7%) | 11 (26.8%) | 0.511 |
| Multilobar involvement on initial chest radiograph | 29 (26.1%) | 5 (12.2%) | 0.081 |
| NPA RT-PCR positive at diagnosis | 41 (36.9%) | 14 (34.1%) | 0.850 |
| Mean (SD) haemoglobin (g/dl) | 13.3 (1.6) | 13.5 (1.4) | 0.468 |
| Mean (SD) initial total peripheral WBC count (×109/l) | 6.4 (2.2) | 6.7 (3.0) | 0.420 |
| Mean (SD) initial lymphocyte count (×109/l) | 1.0 (0.5) | 0.9 (0.3) | 0.297 |
| Mean (SD) initial platelet count (×109/l) | 169 (44) | 199 (77) | 0.023 |
| Median (IRQ) initial LDH (IU/l) | 401 (344–467) | 276 (197–336) | <0.001 |
| Median (IRQ) cumulative pulse methylprednisolone dose (g) | 1.5 (1.0–3.0) | 2.0 (0–3.0) | 0.477 |
| Development of ARDS or death within 21 days | 32 (28.8%) | 1 (2.4%) | <0.001 |
| Death/ARDS at day 21 | 7 (6.3%)/25 (22.5%) | 0 (0%)/1 (2.4%) | – |