Table 3 Baseline and clinical characteristics of patients
|  | CI group (n = 25) | Normal controls (n = 17) | P value | CI-term group (n = 8) | CI-preterm group (n = 17) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maternal age (years) | 34.0 (31.0–37.0) | 37.0 (31.5–38.0) | 0.20 | 34.5 (32.3–37.0) | 34.0 (30.5–36.5) | 0.59 |
Nulliparous, n (%) | 13 (52.0) | 6 (35.3) | 0.35 | 2 (25.0) | 11 (64.7) | 0.68 |
Gestational age at blood collection (weeks) | 22.4 (18.5–25.0) | 24.1 (18.0–24.5) | 0.33 | 23.7 (22.3–25.2) | 21.4 (19.1–23.8) | 0.08 |
Gestational age at delivery (weeks) | 26.4 (21.2–37.3) | 38.1 (37.6–38.4) | < 0.01 | 37.2 (37.0–37.5) | 24.2 (20.8–26.9) | < 0.01 |
Cervical dilation | ||||||
 ≥ 3 cm | 18 (72.0) | – |  | 3 (37.5) | 15 (88.2) | 0.02 |
 < 3 cm | 7 (28.0) | – |  | 5 (62.5) | 2 (11.8) | 0.02 |
WBC count (cell/mL) | 11,680 (9340-14,085) | – |  | 8440 (8250-12,498) | 12,970 (10,320-14,280) | 0.01 |
Neutrophil count | 9220 (6835-11,495) | – |  | 6375 (5770-9765) | 10,150 (7810-12,140) | 0.01 |
C-reactive protein (mg/L) | 5.0 (3.9–20.4) | – |  | 4.0 (1.5–4.2) | 7.9 (4.7–29.5) | 0.01 |