Association Between Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Mortality in Neurological Intensive Care Unit Patients
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Muhammed Nur Ogun1, Elif Yaksi2
1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on survival and mortality in patients who were interned in the Neurology Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Study Design:
A cohort study.
Place And Duration Of Study:
Tertiary referral hospital in Bolu, Turkey, between February 2016 and November 2017.
Methodology:
Demographic data, hemogram and other laboratory parameters of the patients who were treated in NICU were retrospectively recorded. The patients who had a history of hematologic disease and/or premorbid use of corticosteroids were excluded from the study. Patients were divided into two groups: surviving and dead patients. Mann- Whitney U-test, Independent sample t-test or Chi-square test was used to compare the data between the groups, including demographic parameters, NLR and other blood parameters.
Results:
A total of 120 patients were studied. There was no significant difference in age, gender, hemoglobin (Hb), platelet (PLT), and erythrocyte distribution width (RDW) between the two groups. On the other hand, The NLR values [(3.9 (0.9-48) vs. 11.9 (0.9-69, p <0.001))], C-reactive protein [CRP=(25.6 mg/dL (0.1-250) vs. 57.7 mg/dL (1.2-337, p <0.002)] and white blood cell [WBC=(8.9 μ/mm3 (3-59.8) vs. 12.4 μ/mm3 (5-41.3), p <0.002)] were significantly higher in dead patients compared to survived patients.
Conclusion:
Elevated NLR ratio in NICU patients may be considered as a poor prognostic factor. Clinicians should be more cautious in the follow-up of these patients.
