“…[ 12 , 14 ] The following variables were identified as likely confounders for the interaction of diabetes on ARDS outcomes: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity. [ 15 – 17 ] The additional covariates included in the propensity score model were: the primary cause of ARDS, whether the patient was immediately post-operative, AIDS status, if the patient had leukemia, lymphoma, solid tumor with metastasis, immunosuppression, cirrhosis, underlying chronic pulmonary disease, if the patient needed vasopressors in the last 24 hours, hematocrit, highest white blood cell count, platelets, mean arterial pressure, pulmonary artery carbon dioxide, pulmonary artery pH, albumin levels, bilirubin levels, bicarbonate levels, fluid intake and output over the past 24 hours before randomization, partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio, and fluid management strategy. The following covariates, which could mediate the effect pathway of the interaction of diabetes on ARDS, were excluded from the propensity score: diagnosis of hypertension, myocardial infarction, congestive heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, if the participant was on dialysis at baseline, highest baseline creatinine, lowest baseline creatinine, highest baseline glucose, edema, and lowest baseline glucose.…”