Table 1: Anthropometric and clinical characteristics of study population.
| Factor | Group A (n = 13) | Group B (n = 11) | Group C (n = 130) | p-value |
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years) | 68 (66-75) | 75 (58-80) | 71 (59-78) | 0.809 |
| Male sex | 9 (69.2) | 6 (54.5) | 81 (62.3) | 0.760 |
| Medical admission | 9 (69.2) | 11 (100) | 85 (65.4) | 0.061 |
| Prior LOS in ward (days) | 12 (1-37)* | 3 (1-5) | 2 (1-4) | 0.023 |
| APACHE IIa | 19.5 ± 6.3 | 22.7 ± 5.9 | 18.7 ± 6.9 | 0.162 |
| SOFAa | 8 (7.5-11) | 9 (8-11) | 8 (6-10) | 0.168 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 5 (38.5) | 2 (18.2) | 48 (36.9) | 0.450 |
| Chronic renal failure | 3 (23.1) | 1 (9.1) | 21 (16.1) | 0.650 |
| Chronic lung disease | 0*# | 5 (45.5) | 39 (30) | 0.032 |
| Chronic heart failure | 6 (46.1) | 2 (18.2) | 27 (20.7) | 0.107 |
| Chronic neuro-psychiatric disorders | 0 | 2 (18.2) | 19 (14.6) | 0.309 |
| Immunosuppressionb | 0 | 1 (9.1) | 4 (3.1) | 0.440 |
*Significantly different compared to Group C; #Significantly different compared to Group B; Data are no. (%) of patients or median (IQR) unless otherwise stated.
LOS: Length of Stay; APACHE: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; SOFA: Sequential Organ Failure Assessment; IQR: Interquartile Range.
aAt ICU admission; bNeutropenia (neutrophil count < 1000/mm3); immunosuppressant medication (including corticosteroids), splenectomy.