Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a Prognostic Marker in COVID-19 Infection

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the efficacy of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a marker of the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia. The neutrophilto-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood has been studied as a systemic inflammatory marker and various studies have shown that it is a valid prognostic factor in various solid tumours and other chronic diseases such as lung, cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Emerging evidences suggested that peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can be used as a marker of systemic inflammation. Furthermore, NLR has shown good predictive values on progression and clinical outcomes in Covid-19 severity. Our study aims at evaluating whether NLR can help clinicians identify potentially severe cases early, conduct early triage and initiate effective management in time, which may reduce the overall mortality of COVID-19. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective study done from January 2021 to August 2021 in Breach candy hospital Mumbai. A group of 100 patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection hospitalised in our centre were retrospectively analysed. COVID-19 diagnosis was performed via RTPCR from nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs. For each patient, demographic data, clinical history, laboratory tests specially CBC and treatment measures during hospitalisation were collected. Results: NLR can be used to determine on disease severity and mortality in patients with COVID infection. Conclusion: Evaluating NLR can help clinicians identify potentially severe cases early, conduct early triage and initiate effective management in time, which may reduce the overall mortality of COVID-19.