Demographic and clinical characteristics on hospital admission
| Overall (N=516) | Dead (N=120) | Alive (N=396) | P value | |
| Demographic characteristics | ||||
| Age, years, mean±SD | 67±13 | 79±8 | 64±12 | <0.001 |
| Age (tertiles) | ||||
| <62, N (%) | 177 (34.3) | 7 (5.8) | 170 (42.9) | |
| 62–74, N (%) | 171 (33.1) | 27 (22.5) | 144 (36.4) | |
| ≥75, N (%) | 168 (32.6) | 86 (71.7) | 82 (20.7) | |
| Hospital stay, median (IQR) | 9 (5–14) | 6 (3–10) | 10 (6–15) | <0.001 |
| Gender (male), N (%) | 345 (66.9) | 85 (70.8) | 260 (65.7) | 0.321 |
| Smoking history, N (%) | 112 (21.7) | 26 (21.7) | 86 (21.7) | 0.999 |
| Hypertension, N (%) | 182 (35.3) | 65 (55.6) | 117 (29.6) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus, N (%) | 161 (31.4) | 51 (43.6) | 110 (27.8) | <0.001 |
| CV disease, N (%) | 146 (28.5) | 57 (47.9) | 89 (22.6) | <0.001 |
| Previous stroke/TIA, N (%) | 25 (4.9) | 11 (9.1) | 14 (3.5) | 0.011 |
| COPD, N (%) | 36 (7.0) | 12 (10) | 24 (6.1) | 0.120 |
| Cancer, N (%) | 50 (9.7) | 23 (19.2) | 27 (6.8) | <0.001 |
| Depression, N (%) | 52 (20.1) | 20 (17.1) | 32 (8.1) | 0.005 |
| Dementia, N (%) | 18 (3.4) | 12 (10.0) | 6 (1.5) | <0.001 |
| Comorbidities* mean±SD | 2.1±1.7 | 3.2±1.9 | 1.8±1.6 | <0.001 |
| >3, N (%) | 179 (34.7) | 68 (58.1) | 111 (28.2) | <0.001 |
| Barthel Index, mean±SD | 85±28 | 77±27 | 94±1 3 | <0.001 |
| ACE-i/ARBs, N (%) | 144 (27.9) | 35 (29.2) | 109 (27.5) | 0.725 |
| Drugs, N (%) | 3.4±3.3 | 5.6±3.5 | 2.7±2.7 | <0.001 |
| Signs and symptoms | ||||
| Fever, N (%) | 456 (89.1) | 102 (87.2) | 354 (89.5) | 0.457 |
| Cough, N (%) | 293 (57.3) | 57 (48.5) | 236 (59.8) | 0.032 |
| Dyspnoea, N (%) | 250 (48.9) | 59 (50.4) | 191 (48.5) | 0.711 |
| Respiratory rate, mean±SD | 23±7 | 26±7 | 21±6 | <0.001 |
| Insomnia, N (%) | 68 (13.2) | 18 (15) | 50 (12.6) | 0.004 |
| Diarrhoea, N (%) | 47 (9.2) | 10 (8.3) | 37 (9.4) | 0.782 |
| Syncope, N (%) | 27 (5.2) | 11 (9.2) | 16 (4.1) | 0.023 |
| Altered mental status, N (%) | 24 (4.7) | 12 (10.0) | 12 (3.0) | <0.001 |
*Comorbidities are a composite variable including from hypertension to dementia. Percentages in brackets are calculated for numbers in columns for all dichotomous variables.
ACE-i, ACE inhibitors; ARBs, angiotensin receptor blockers; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CV, cardiovascular; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.