Baseline Characteristics of ESRD Patients with Infections of Unknown Origin Stratified According to 18F-FDG PET/CT Results
| Variable | Entire cohort (n = 104) | Negative results (n = 31) | Positive results (n = 73) | P |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 50 (48.1) | 15 (48.4) | 35 (47.9) | 0.967 |
| Female | 54 (51.9) | 16 (51.6) | 38 (52.1) | |
| Age (y) | 67.4 ± 14.4 | 65.2 ± 13.8 | 68.4 ± 14.7 | 0.778 |
| Duration of dialysis (mo) | 59.1 ± 74.8 | 58.8 ± 77.6 | 59.2 ± 74.1 | 0.409 |
| Dialysis access route | ||||
| Arteriovenous fistula | 43 (41.3) | 14 (45.2) | 29 (39.7) | 0.823 |
| Arteriovenous graft | 23 (22.1) | 5 (16.1) | 18 (24.7) | |
| Tunneled catheter | 33 (31.7) | 11 (35.5) | 22 (30.1) | |
| Double-lumen catheter | 5 (4.8) | 1 (3.2) | 4 (5.5) | |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 54 (51.9) | 14 (45.2) | 40 (54.8) | 0.368 |
| Cerebrovascular accident | 17 (16.3) | 6 (19.4) | 11 (15.1) | 0.589 |
| Coronary artery disease | 27 (26.0) | 8 (25.8) | 19 (26.0) | 0.981 |
| Chronic liver disease | 22 (21.2) | 11 (35.5) | 11 (15.1) | 0.020* |
| Malignancy | 15 (14.4) | 6 (19.4) | 9 (12.3) | 0.351 |
| Blood count data | ||||
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 9.3 ± 1.4 | 9.9 ± 1.5 | 9.1 ± 1.3 | 0.011* |
| Hematocrit (%) | 28.6 ± 4.5 | 29.9 ± 5.1 | 28.0 ± 4.1 | 0.054 |
| White blood cells (1,000/μL) | 12.5 ± 9.0 | 9.3 ± 4.2 | 13.9 ± 10.1 | 0.016* |
| Erythropoietin dose (IU/kg/wk) | 97.5 ± 19.6 | 90.9 ± 24.5 | 99.3 ± 18.0 | 0.156 |
| Biochemical data | ||||
| CRP (mg/L) | 101.4 ± 66.1 | 62.6 ± 47.7 | 117.9 ± 66.1 | <0.001* |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.1 ± 0.6 | 3.0 ± 0.6 | 3.1 ± 0.6 | 0.933 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 633.7 ± 398.9 | 532.0 ± 360.1 | 679.0 ± 416.6 | 0.397 |
| Total iron-binding capacity (μg/dL) | 219.6 ± 42.2 | 227.7 ± 47.7 | 217.2 ± 41.4 | 0.602 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 6.8 ± 2.8 | 7.2 ± 2.8 | 6.6 ± 2.8 | 0.359 |
| Alanine aminotransferase (U/L) | 22.3 ± 16.3 | 25.9 ± 17.3 | 20.9 ± 15.8 | 0.170 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase (U/L) | 40.2 ± 36.7 | 54.2 ± 49.7 | 33.8 ± 27.6 | 0.084 |
| Alkaline phosphatase (U/L) | 145.9 ± 113.1 | 123.4 ± 69.6 | 155.4 ± 126.5 | 0.280 |
| Plasma glucose (mg/dL) | 153.1 ± 64.3 | 146.4 ± 76.3 | 156.1 ± 58.5 | 0.489 |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 164.7 ± 45.4 | 184.1 ± 45.3 | 154.6 ± 42.9 | 0.067 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 135.9 ± 83.2 | 141.3 ± 73.0 | 133.0 ± 89.5 | 0.786 |
| Bacteremia | 59 (56.7) | 14 (45.2) | 45 (61.6) | 0.121 |
| Clinical outcomes | ||||
| Length of hospital stay (d) | 48.2 ± 39.0 | 28.2 ± 16.9 | 56.8 ± 42.6 | <0.001* |
| Mortality during admission | 27 (26.0) | 3 (9.7) | 24 (32.9) | 0.014* |
| Median follow-up (d) and range | 150, 7–960 | 167, 16–730 | 141, 7–960 | 0.764 |
↵* Indicates statistically significant results.
Qualitative data are expressed as numbers, followed by percentages in parentheses; continuous data are expressed as mean ± SD.