Characteristics of patients positive for COVID-19
| Without MetS n=46 | MetS n=33 | P value | |
| Male, N (%) | 23 (50.0) | 14 (42.4) | 0.506 |
| Age, years, median (IQR) | 48.5 (34–60.3) | 56.0 (45.3–61.8) | 0.107 |
| BMI in kg/m2, median (IQR) | 26.5 (23.8–31.4) | 30.4 (27.2–35.8) | 0.004 |
| MetS, N (%) | – | – | – |
| Use of antihypertensives, N (%)* | 4 (8.7) | 17 (51.5) | – |
| High triglycerides, N (%)* | 2 (4.3) | 24 (72.7) | – |
| Low HDL-C, N (%)* | 36 (87.3) | 33 (100) | – |
| Hyperglycaemia, N (%)* | 2 (4.3) | 19 (57.6) | – |
| Abdominal adiposity, N (%)* | 24 (52.2) | 29 (87.9) | – |
| Waist–hip ratio, median (IQR) | 0.93 (0.84–0.98) | 0.95 (0.90–1.02) | 0.034 |
| History of pulmonary disease, N (%) | 10 (21.7) | 6 (18.2) | 0.698 |
| History of cardiovascular disease, N (%) | 5 (10.9) | 11 (33.3) | 0.014 |
| Use of antibiotics, N (%) | 19 (41.3) | 10 (30.3) | 0.274 |
| Deceased (30-day follow-up), N (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | – |
| Discharged from ER without hospitalisation, N (%) | 5 (11) | 0 (0) | 0.047 |
| Hospitalisation, N (%) | 41 (89) | 33 (100) | |
| Respiratory support† | |||
| Intubation, N (%) | 7 (15) | 6 (18) | 0.989 |
| High-flow nasal cannula, N (%) | 4 (9) | 3 (9) | |
| Supplemental oxygen 1–6 L/min, N (%) | 24 (52) | 21 (64) | |
| 6 | – | – | 0.111 |
| 5 | 1 (2) | 2 (6) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 (9) | |
| 3 | 4 (9) | 1 (3) | |
| 2 | 9 (20) | 11 (33) | |
| 1 | 10 (22) | 3 (9) | |
| Hospitalised, without oxygen supply, N (%) | 6 (13) | 4 (12) | |
| Unfavourable course of disease, N (%) | 16 (35) | 15 (45) | 0.338 |
| Readmission ER related to COVID-19, N (%) | 7 (15) | 4 (12) | 0.658 |
Sufficient data to diagnose or exclude MetS were missing in seven patients. Median (IQR Q1–Q3) used in variables with non-normal distribution. Statistically significant p-values are bold.
*MetS criterion. Cut-off values: high triglycerides (>1.7 mmol/L), low HDL-C (<1 mmol/L in male, <1.3 mmol/L in female), hyperglycaemia ≥7.8 mmol/L and/or drug treatment for elevated blood glucose, abdominal adiposity (male ≥102 cm, female ≥88 cm).
†Respiratory support was defined as maximum supplemental oxygen at any given moment during hospitalisation.
BMI, body mass index; ER, emergency room; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; MetS, metabolic syndrome; N, numbers.