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Table 1 Baseline characteristics of 210 participants with a single target infection by infection status

From: C-reactive protein and procalcitonin to discriminate between tuberculosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, and bacterial pneumonia in HIV-infected inpatients meeting WHO criteria for seriously ill: a prospective cohort study

Diagnosis n (%)

Total N = 210

TB n = 133 (63)

CAP n = 61 (29)

PJP n = 16 (8)

P-value for pairwise comparisona

Median age in yrs. (IQR)

34.8 (28.9–40.7)

34.7 (29.1–40.8)

35.1 (29.4–40.0)

36.9 (28.8–41.2)

TB vs. CAP: 0.96, CAP vs. PJP: 0.84

PJP vs. TB: 0.75

Sex: female n(%)

139 (66)

84 (63)

44 (72)

11 (69)

TB vs. CAP: 0.22, CAP vs. PJP: 0.71b

PJP vs. TB: 0.79b

Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis

60 (29)

38 (29)

18 (30)

4 (25)

TB vs. CAP: 0.89, CAP vs. PJP: 0.49b

PJP vs. TB: 1.00b

Antiretroviral therapy n (%)

76 (36)

43 (32)

29 (48)

4 (25)

TB vs. CAP: 0.04, CAP vs. PJP: 0.16b

PJP vs. TB: 0.78b

Median CD4+ count, cells/μL (IQR)

97 (38–210)

77 (35–162)

200 (79–287)

35 (12–81)

TB vs. CAP: 0.0001

CAP vs. PJP: 0.0005, PJP vs. TB: 0.03

Median WCC ×109/L (IQR)

8.6 (5.8–12.9)

7.3 (5.2–10.2)

12.3 (8.4–20.0)

8.2 (6.2–10.7)

TB vs. CAP: 0.0001, CAP vs. PJP: 0.01

PJP vs. TB: 0.5

Median Hb g/dL (IQR)

9.4 (7.7–10.8)

8.6 (7.4–10.1)

10.4 (8.8–12)

11.25 (9.7–12.2)

TB vs. CAP: 0.0001, CAP vs. PJP: 0.24

PJP vs. TB: 0.0001

β-D-glucan > 300 pg/mL

25 (12)

11 (8)

1 (2)

13 (80)

TB vs. CAP: 0.11b, CAP vs. PJP: < 0.0001b PJP vs. TB: < 0.0001b

WHO danger signsc:

 Pulse rate > 120 beats/min

166 (79)

106 (80)

51 (84)

9 (56)

TB vs. CAP: 0.52, CAP vs. PJP: 0.02

PJP vs. TB: 0.04

 Respiratory rate > 30/min

137 (65)

83 (62)

38 (62)

16 (100)

TB vs. CAP: 0.99, CAP vs. PJP: 0.002b

PJP vs. TB: 0.001b

 Fever> 39 °C

31 (15)

20 (15)

10 (16)

1 (6)

TB vs. CAP: 0.81, CAP vs. PJP: 0.44b

PJP vs. TB: 0.47b

 Unable to walk unaided

119 (57)

88 (67)

23 (38)

8 (50)

TB vs. CAP:< 0.0001, CAP vs. PJP: 0.40

PJP vs. TB: 0.19

TB symptomsd:

 Night sweats

137 (66)

89 (67)

38 (63)

10 (67)

TB vs. CAP: 0.58, CAP vs. PJP:1.00b

PJP vs. TB: 0.78b

 Weight loss

196 (94)

130 (98)

53 (88)

13 (81)

TB vs. CAP: 0.005b, CAP vs. PJP: 0.43b

PJP vs. TB: 0.009b

 Fever

170 (82)

106 (80)

52 (87)

12 (75)

TB vs. CAP: 0.29, CAP vs. PJP: 0.27b

PJP vs. TB: 0.74b

  1. Abbreviations: TB tuberculosis, CAP bacterial community-acquired pneumonia, PJP Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, Hb haemoglobin, WCC white cell count
  2. aHypothesis tests- Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test for continuous data; Chi-square test for categorical data. bFisher’s exact test where 1 or more cells < 5
  3. cDanger signs based on WHO algorithm for diagnosis of TB in seriously ill patients; d Cough of any duration was a study inclusion criterion
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BMC Infectious Diseases

ISSN: 1471-2334

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