Table 1 Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics of the study groups
Characteristic | Probiotic group (n = 34) | Placebo group (n = 36) | P—value |
|---|---|---|---|
Age, years, median (IQR) | 44.0 (36.0–48.0) | 46.0 (37.5–53.0) | 0.264a |
Weight, kg, median (IQR) | 80.5 (69.0–88.0) | 78.5 (58.0–94.0) | 0.524 |
Height, cm, median (IQR) | 170.5 (165.0–182.0) | 169.0 (163.5–177.0) | 0.430 |
BMI, kg/m2, median (IQR) | 25.9 (23.1–29.8) | 26.0 (22.6–28.4) | 0.653 |
Race, Caucasian, n (%) | 34 (100%) | 36 (100%) | 1.000b |
Gender, male, n (%) | 18 (52.9) | 19 (52.8) | 0.989 |
Education | |||
 University, n (%) | 27 (79.4) | 25 (69.4) | 0.347 |
 High School, n (%) | 6 (17.7) | 9 (25.0) | 0.459 |
 Incomplete University, n (%) | 1 (2.9) | 2 (5.6) | 0.593 |
Employment | |||
 Full time, n (%) | 28 (82.4) | 26 (72.2) | 0.320 |
 Part time, n (%) | 4 (11.8) | 5 (13.9) | 0.792 |
 Unemployed, n (%) | 2 (5.9) | 5 (13.9) | 0.272 |
Welfare | |||
 High, n (%) | 6 (17.7) | 6 (16.7) | 0.914 |
 Middle, n (%) | 28 (82.4) | 30 (83.3) | 0.914 |
 Low, n (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.000 |
Alcohol consumptionc, n (%) | 10 (29.4) | 8 (22.2) | 0.496 |
Smoking statusc, n (%) | 8 (23.5) | 5 (13.9) | 0.307 |
Medical profile | |||
 Hypertension, n (%) | 4.0 (11.8) | 7(19.4) | 0.384 |
 Diabetes, n (%) | 1.0 (2.9) | 2 (5.6) | 0.593 |
 Immune deficiency, n (%) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1.000 |
 Respiratory pathology, n (%) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1.000 |
 Cardio-vascular disease, n (%) | 3.0 (8.8) | 2 (5.6) | 0.599 |
 Neoplasm, n (%) | 1.0 (2.9) | 0 (0.0) | 0.308 |
 Rheumatic disease, n (%) | 3.0 (8.8) | 3 (8.3) | 0.942 |
 Cerebrovascular pathology, n (%) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1.000 |
 Hepatic/pancreatic disease, n (%) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1.000 |
 Bowel disease, n (%) | 1.0 (2.9) | 3 (8.3) | 0.338 |
 Renal disease, n (%) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1 (2.8) | 0.335 |
Epidemiologic historyd | |||
 Flu-like illness, n (%) | 17 (50.0) | 15 (41.7) | 0.489 |
 COVID-like illness, n (%) | 7 (20.6) | 5 (13.9) | 0.463 |
 Contact with COVID-19 patient, n (%) | 24 (70.6) | 19 (52.8) | 0.136 |
Symptom scores/proportion | |||
 Respiratory, median (IQR) | 3.0 (2.0–5.0) | 3.0 (2.0–6.0) | 0.810 |
 n (%) | 33 (97.1) | 35 (97.2) | 0.967 |
 Gastrointestinal, median (IQR) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.0 (0.0–0.0) | 0.802 |
 n (%) | 11 (32.4) | 9 (25.0) | 0.501 |
 Constitutional, median (IQR) | 3.0 (2.0–5.0) | 3.5 (2.0–5.0) | 0.678 |
 n (%) | 33 (97.1) | 35 (97.2) | 0.967 |
 Global, median (IQR) | 7.0 (5.0–10.0) | 6.5 (5.0–12.0) | 0.948 |
Antibodiese | |||
 Anti-NCP, positive, n (%) | 7 (31.8) | 9 (40.9) | 0.534 |
 Anti-RBD/S1, positive, n (%) | 13 (59.1) | 14 (63.6) | 0.761 |