Characteristics of the entire cohort at hospital admission
| Variables | Total cohort | Patients with need for mechanical ventilation during follow-up | Patients treated on normal wards |
| n | 42 | 12 (29) | 30 (71) |
| Age (years) | 67.5 (54.5–75.25) | 70.5 (54–74) | 65.5 (56–76) |
| Male gender | 29 (69) | 9 (75) | 20 (67) |
| CFS | 3 (2–4) | 3.5 (3–4) | 2 (2–4) |
| CFS >3 | 14 (33) | 6 (50) | 8 (27) |
| qSOFA | 0 (0–1) | 1 (1–2) | 0 (0–1) |
| Symptoms at admission | |||
| Cough | 30 (71) | 8 (67) | 22 (73) |
| Fever | 29 (69) | 8 (67) | 21 (70) |
| Dyspnea | 25 (60) | 10 (83) | 15 (50) |
| Gastrointestinal symptoms | 6 (14) | 2 (17) | 4 (13) |
| Comorbidities | |||
| CCI | 3 (1–5) | 3.5 (1–5) | 3 (1–5) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 8 (19) | 3 (25) | 5 (17) |
| Arterial hypertension | 19 (45) | 5 (42) | 14 (47) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 6 (14) | 1 (8) | 5 (17) |
| Cancer | 4 (10) | 1 (8) | 3 (10) |
| Laboratory values at admission | |||
| Sodium (mmol/L) | 138 (134–140) | 139 (133–141) | 138 (134–139) |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) | 1.2 (1.0–1.9) | 0.9 (0.7–1.3) |
| CRP (mg/L) | 101 (31–198) | 263 (173–305) | 55 (16–132) |
| Procalcitonin (ng/mL) | 0.12 (0.03–0.24) | 0.33 (0.19–2.03) | 0.05 (0.02–1.28) |
| Total bilirubin (g/dL) | 0.7 (0.5–0.9) | 0.8 (0.7–1.4) | 0.6 (0.4–0.9) |
| AST (U/L) | 47 (29–74) | 69 (51–120) | 41 (28–60) |
| ALT (U/L) | 27 (15–43) | 33 (20–54) | 25 (15–43) |
| INR | 1.1 (1.1–1.2) | 1.2 (1.1–1.3) | 1.1 (1.1–1.2) |
| Leukocytes (10ˆ9/L) | 6.9 (4.7–8.9) | 8.8 (4.4–10.2) | 6.1 (4.8–7.6) |
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 134 (121–146) | 130 (117–151) | 137 (122–144) |
| Thrombocytes (10ˆ9/L) | 205 (151–271) | 315 (171–206) | 205 (133–256) |
| CK (U/L) | 128 (54–390) | 247 (54–810) | 97 (54–310) |
| LDH (U/L) | 395 (295–530) | 496 (452–547) | 331 (258–525) |
| D-dimer (mg/L)* | 1.2 (0.6–3.5) | 2.0 (0.8–2.6) | 1.0 (0.45–3.5) |
| Course/outcome | |||
| Discharged | 24 (57) | 2 (17) | 22 (73) |
| Time until hospital discharge (days) | 7 (4–8) | 16 (14–18) | 6.5 (4–8) |
| Deceased | 2 (5) | 2 (17) | 0 (0) |
Data are expressed as median with IQRs or as frequencies with percentages.
*Measured in 35 patients.
ALT, alanine aminotransaminase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; CFS, Clinical Frailty Scale; CK, creatine kinase; CRP, C reactive protein; INR, international normalized ratio; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; qSOFA, quick sepsis-related organ failure score.