Variables | Unmatched groups | Matched groups | ||||
Corticosteroid | Control | p-value | Corticosteroid | Control | p-value | |
Subjects n | 1112 | 3289 | 943 | 943 | ||
Age years | 74.0±15.2 | 74.0±16.9 | 0.93 | 74.2±15.6 | 74.8±15.1 | 0.46 |
Male | 719 (64.7) | 1935 (58.8) | 0.001 | 616 (65.3) | 617 (65.4) | 1.0 |
Academic hospital | 150 (13.5) | 448 (13.6) | 0.96 | 121 (12.8) | 122 (12.9) | 1.0 |
Hospital volume per 1 year | 0.85 | 0.54 | ||||
⩽14 | 349 (31.4) | 1063 (32.3) | 305 (32.3) | 296 (31.4) | ||
15–25 | 377 (33.9) | 1098 (33.4) | 318 (33.7) | 341 (36.2) | ||
⩾26 | 386 (34.7) | 1128 (34.3) | 320 (33.9) | 306 (32.4) | ||
Level of consciousness# | <0.001 | 0.22 | ||||
0 | 749 (67.4) | 2014 (61.2) | 625 (66.3) | 664 (70.4) | ||
1–3 | 197 (17.7) | 606 (18.4) | 171 (18.1) | 154 (16.3) | ||
10–30 | 84 (7.6) | 311 (9.5) | 72 (7.6) | 67 (7.1) | ||
100–300 | 82 (7.4) | 358 (10.9) | 75 (8.0) | 58 (6.2) | ||
Coexisting lung disease | ||||||
Asthma | 354 (31.8) | 235 (7.1) | <0.001 | 219 (23.2) | 193 (20.5) | 0.16 |
COPD | 477 (42.9) | 574 (17.5) | <0.001 | 372 (39.4) | 388 (41.1) | 0.48 |
Pleural effusion | 58 (5.2) | 237 (7.2) | 0.02 | 54 (5.7) | 46 (4.9) | 0.47 |
Aspiration or drainage of pleural effusion | 14 (1.3) | 99 (3.0) | 0.001 | 13 (1.4) | 11 (1.2) | 0.84 |
Gastroscopy without haemostatic procedure | 55 (4.9) | 131 (4.0) | 0.17 | 51 (5.4) | 50 (5.3) | 1.0 |
Gastroscopy with haemostatic procedure | 2 (0.2) | 12 (0.4) | 0.54 | 2 (0.2) | 1 (0.1) | 0.63 |
Child–Pugh score of 10–15 | 2 (0.2) | 6 (0.2) | 1.0 | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.1) | 1.0 |
Interventions | ||||||
Intermittent haemodialysis | 17 (1.5) | 100 (3.0) | 0.007 | 16 (1.7) | 12 (1.3) | 0.57 |
Continuous renal replacement therapy | 6 (0.5) | 19 (0.6) | 1.0 | 4 (0.4) | 3 (0.3) | 1.0 |
Blood transfusion | ||||||
Red blood cells | 85 (7.6) | 261 (7.9) | 0.80 | 71 (7.5) | 74 (7.8) | 0.86 |
Fresh frozen plasma | 9 (0.8) | 26 (0.8) | 1.0 | 6 (0.6) | 5 (0.5) | 1.0 |
Platelets | 14 (1.3) | 23 (0.7) | 0.09 | 9 (1.0) | 11 (1.2) | 0.82 |
Albumin | 108 (9.7) | 269 (8.2) | 0.12 | 87 (9.2) | 90 (9.5) | 0.88 |
Antithrombin concentration | 9 (0.8) | 17 (0.5) | 0.26 | 6 (0.6) | 6 (0.6) | 1.0 |
Immunoglobulin | 43 (3.9) | 104 (3.2) | 0.29 | 33 (3.5) | 25 (2.7) | 0.35 |
Sivelestat sodium | 62 (5.6) | 135 (4.1) | 0.04 | 51 (5.4) | 53 (5.6) | 0.92 |
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug | 133 (12.0) | 384 (11.7) | 0.79 | 115 (12.2) | 110 (11.7) | 0.78 |
Initial antibiotic use | ||||||
Initial use of ⩾2 antibiotics | 263 (23.7) | 634 (19.3) | 0.002 | 195 (20.7) | 215 (22.8) | 0.29 |
Penicillin | 11 (1.0) | 28 (0.9) | 0.71 | 8 (0.8) | 7 (0.7) | 1.0 |
Broad-spectrum penicillin | 29 (2.6) | 113 (3.4) | 0.20 | 24 (2.5) | 25 (2.7) | 1.0 |
Ampicillin/sulbactam | 287 (25.8) | 973 (29.6) | 0.02 | 245 (26.0) | 262 (27.8) | 0.57 |
Pazobactam/piperacillin or sulbactam/cefoperazone sodium | 184 (16.5) | 487 (14.8) | 0.16 | 162 (17.2) | 153 (16.2) | 0.62 |
First-generation cephalosporin | 10 0.9) | 53 (1.6) | 0.11 | 9 (1.0) | 8 (0.8) | 1.0 |
Second-generation cephalosporin | 14 (1.3) | 68 (2.1) | 0.10 | 14 (1.5) | 9 (1.0) | 0.40 |
Third-generation cephalosporin, poor activity against Pseudomonas | 272 (24.5) | 751 (22.8) | 0.27 | 216 (22.9) | 203 (21.5) | 0.51 |
Third-generation cephalosporin, good activity against Pseudomonas | 22 (2.0) | 73 (2.2) | 0.72 | 18 (1.9) | 21 (2.2) | 0.75 |
Fourth-generation cephalosporin | 57 (5.1) | 143 (4.3) | 0.28 | 50 (5.3) | 41 (4.3) | 0.90 |
Carbapenem | 218 (19.6) | 568 (17.3) | 0.09 | 184 (19.5) | 196 (20.8) | 0.53 |
Aminoglycoside | 7 (0.6) | 29 (0.9) | 0.56 | 7 (0.7) | 7 (0.7) | 1.0 |
Fluoroquinolone | 117 (10.5) | 252 (7.7) | 0.004 | 91 (9.7) | 100 (10.6) | 0.54 |
Tetracycline | 47 (4.2) | 97 (2.9) | 0.04 | 32 (3.4) | 37 (3.9) | 0.62 |
Macrolide | 76 (6.8) | 180 (5.5) | 0.10 | 56 (5.9) | 66 (7.0) | 0.40 |
Anti-MRSA drug | 11 (1.0) | 42 (1.3) | 0.53 | 11 (1.0) | 10 (1.1) | 1.0 |
Antifungal drug | 6 (0.5) | 10 (0.3) | 0.26 | 3 (0.3) | 5 (0.5) | 0.73 |
Data are presented as mean±sd or n (%), unless otherwise stated. COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. MRSA: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. #: Japan Coma Scale score.