General characteristics of 356 patients with community-acquired pneumonia, according to detection of an infectious agent
| Characteristic | With agent | Without agent | p Value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 232 | 124 | |
| Age (years), median (range) | 61 (18–94) | 66 (18–93) | 0.1 |
| Men, n (%) | 128 (55.2) | 63 (50.8) | 0.4 |
| Death, n (%) | 17 (7.3) | 11 (8.9) | 0.6 |
| Hospital stay (days), median/n (range) | 7/190 (1–71) | 7/104 (1–82) | 0.3 |
| Hospitalisation, n (%) | 211 (90.9) | 119 (96.0) | 0.1 |
| ICU admission, n (%) | 53 (22.8) | 30 (24.2) | 0.7 |
| Outpatients, n (%) | 21 (9.1) | 5 (4.0) | 0.1 |
| Smokers, n (%) | 90/220 (40.1) | 37/119 (31.1) | 0.1 |
| Alcohol use >80 g/day, n/N (%) | 31/221 (14) | 11/119 (9.2) | 0.2 |
| Comorbidity, n (%) | N=221 | N=119 | |
| Any | 112 (50.7) | 66 (55.5) | 0.4 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 36 (16.3) | 19 (15.9) | 0.9 |
| COPD | 36 (16.3) | 23 (19.3) | 0.5 |
| Asthma | 12 (5.4) | 4 (3.4) | 0.5 |
| Cardiac failure | 38 (17.2) | 23 (19.3) | 0.7 |
| Liver damage | 14 (6.3) | 1 (0.8) | 0.03 |
| Renal disease | 4 (1.8) | 7 (5.9) | 0.08 |
| Antibiotics prior to admission, n/N (%) | 48/220 (21.8) | 24/119 (20.2) | 0.8 |
| Mental confusion, n/N (%) | 55/219 (25.1) | 22/115 (19.1) | 0.2 |
| Hypotension, n/N (%) | 36/218 (16.5) | 26/119 (21.9) | 0.2 |
| Shock, n/N (%) | 21/217 (9.7) | 9/119 (7.6) | 0.6 |
| Respiratory rate, median/n (range) | 24/172 (18–48) | 24/99 (15–46) | 0.8 |
| Pulse, median/n (range) | 95/214 (17–153) | 91/119 (10–180) | 0.1 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg), median/n (range) | 120/178 (68–213) | 123/178 (70–195) | 0.6 |
| Temperature at admission (°C), median/n (range) | 37.2/219 (35–41) | 37.4/117 (35–40.5) | 0.9 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/dL), median/n (range) | 211/182 (2–569) | 158/101 (3–454) | 0.02 |
| Chest radiograph, n (%) | N=217 | N=115 | |
| Interstitial patterns | 31 (14.3) | 12 (10.4) | 0.4 |
| Alveolar patterns | 173 (79.7) | 95 (83.3) | 0.5 |
| Both | 13 (5.9) | 8 (6.9) | 0.9 |
| Multilobar involvement | 70 (32.6) | 42/113 (37.2) | 0.4 |
Santiago, Chile, February 2005–December 2007.
*p by Kruskal–Wallis test.
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; ICU, intensive care unit.