Baseline Characteristics of Patients With and Without Bacterial Lower Respiratory Tract Infection
| Characteristic | All Patients (N = 834) | Bacterial LRTI Present (n = 162) | Bacterial LRTI Absent (n = 672) | P Valuea | Missing No. (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 51 (16) | 52 (17) | 51 (16) | .450 | 0 (0.0) |
| Male, No. (%) | 345 (41) | 69 (43) | 276 (41) | .724 | 0 (0.0) |
| Current smoker, No. (%) | 214 (26) | 53 (33) | 161 (24) | .022 | 0 (0.0) |
| Comorbidity (pulmonary,b cardiac,c diabetes mellitus), No. (%) | 212 (26) | 46 (29) | 166 (25) | .311 | 1 (0.1) |
| Cough duration before index consultation, mean (SD), d | 9 (7) | 9 (7) | 8 (7) | .021 | 7 (0.8) |
| Severity score (all symptoms), mean (SD)d | 31 (14) | 34 (14) | 30 (14) | .003 | 22 (2.6) |
| Infiltrates on chest radiograph present, No. (%) | 26 (3) | 9 (6) | 17 (3) | .046 | 29 (3.5) |
| Antibiotic use, No. (%)e | 62 (7) | 20 (12) | 42 (6) | .008 | 0 (0.0) |
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; LRTI = lower respiratory tract infection.
↵a P value compared patients with and without bacterial LRTI.
↵b History of COPD, asthma, or other lung disease.
↵c History of heart failure, ischemic heart disease, or other heart disease.
↵d Score for 14 patients’ physician-recorded symptoms summed and scaled to range between 0 and 100 at day 1.
↵e Defined as patient reported intake of antibiotics (1 dose or more) for at least 5 days in the first 10 days after the index physician consultation.