Performance of whole-blood interferon-gamma release assay in patients admitted to the emergency department with pulmonary infiltrates

Table 4 Comparison of inpatients and outpatients with pulmonary tuberculosis with regard to the factors associated with non-positive QuantiFERON results

Covariates	Inpatients		P value	Outpatients		P value
	Positive QFT (n = 51)	Non-positive QFT (n = 37)		Positive QFT (n = 77)	Non-positive QFT (n 16)
Laboratory findings
WBC, cells/μL	8566 ± 3438	10604 ± 5464	0.050	7723 ± 2372	7526 ± 2212	0.761
Lymphocytes, cells/μL	1203 ± 509	885 ± 440	0.003	1 787 ± 642	1508 ± 504	0.105
Lymphocytopenia*	20 (39.2)	24 (64.9)	0.018	7 (9.3)	1 (7.7)	1.0
Albumin, g/dL	3.6 ±0.64	3.1 ± 0.59	0.003	4.4 ± 0.40	4.1 ± 0.56	0.051
ESR, mm/hr	60.5 ± 35.15	62. 5 ± 35.97	0.806	33.9 ± 27.1	58.1 ± 33.4	0.004
CRP, mg/dL	6.5 ± 6.21	8.3 ± 6.83	0.230	2.1 ± 2.92	0.44 ± 0.30	0.452
Radiographic extent of disease
Mild	19 (37.3 )	13 (35.1 )	0.589	55 (71.4 )	6 (37.5)	0.020
Moderate	19 (37.3)	11 (29.7 )		21 (27.3)	10 (62.5)
Advanced	13 (25.5)	13 (35.1)		1 (1.3)	0

Data are shown as mean ± SD or No. (%).
WBC, white blood cells; ESR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP, C-reactive protein; QFT = QuantiFERON (performed by QuantiFERON^®-TB Gold or QuantiFERON^®-TB Gold In-Tube).
* Lymphocytopenia; < 1,000 cells/μL.

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