Table 2 Clinical characteristics: comparison of patients with and without asthma (n = 473)
Characteristic | Patients with asthma | Patients without asthma | P-Value* |
|---|---|---|---|
No. (%) (n = 137) | No. (%) (n = 336) | ||
Median days from onset to admission (range) | 2 (0 – 20) (n = 136) | 3 (0 – 21) (n = 332) | 0.06 |
Admission within 2 days of illness onset | 74/136 (54) | 150/334 (45) | 0.06 |
Median length of stay- days (range) | 3 (0 – 47) (n = 136) | 3 (0 – 77) (n = 332) | 0.14 |
Clinical symptoms at admission | |||
Cough | 118 (86) | 284 (85) | 0.45 |
Fever | 115 (84) | 294 (88) | 0.20 |
Shortness of Breath | 91 (66) | 155 (46) | <0.01 |
Wheezing | 62 (45) | 47 (14) | <0.01 |
Fatigue/Weakness | 47 (34) | 125 (37) | 0.71 |
Myalgias | 43 (31) | 122 (36) | 0.57 |
Rhinorrhea | 42 (31) | 103 (31) | 0.88 |
Chills | 38 (28) | 120 (36) | 0.23 |
Sore Throat | 33 (24) | 96 (29) | 0.25 |
Vomiting | 31 (23) | 98 (29) | 0.08 |
Headache | 31 (23) | 99 (30) | 0.17 |
Diarrhea | 18 (13) | 75 (22) | 0.03 |
Underlying medical condition | |||
Any condition excluding asthma | 64 (47) | 217 (50) | 0.11 |
Diabetes | 24 (18) | 51 (15) | 0.18 |
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 18 (13) | 31 (9) | 0.04 |
Cardiovascular disease | 16 (12) | 52 (16) | 0.55 |
Immunosuppression | 15 (11) | 48 (14) | 0.45 |
Neuromuscular disorder | 11 (8) | 26 (8) | 0.87 |
Cognitive dysfunction | 10 (7) | 25 (7) | 0.76 |
Seizure disorder | 7 (5) | 25 (7) | 0.21 |
Chronic renal disease | 3 (2) | 38 (11) | <0.01 |
Pregnancy | 8 (6) | 38 (12) | 0.11 |
Current smoker | 23/121 (19) | 58/303 (19) | 0.56 |
Obese or morbidly obese† | 47/129 (36) | 103/298 (35) | 0.37 |
Positive sterile site culture | 1/137 (1) | 13/336 (4) | 0.11 |
Pneumonia at admission | 45/123 (37) | 133/281 (47) | 0.05 |
Seasonal flu vaccine | 33/86 (38) | 64/203 (32) | 0.49 |