Lymphocyte-based ratios for predicting respiratory failure in Guillain-Barré syndrome

Up to 20-30% of patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) suffer serious clinical manifestations such as respiratory failure. We aim to determine whether two new prognostic biomarkers, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), could reliably predict respiratory failure in GBS.we MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 426 patients diagnosed at our center with GBS between January 2015 and July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Data were collected from the hospital database. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used to examine whether NLR alone, PLR alone or the combination, as measured at admission, could predict respiratory failure during hospitalization. Nomograms for predicting respiratory failure in GBS individuals were established, and predictive accuracy was evaluated using Harrell's concordance index (C-index).

A total of 74 (17%) patients developed respiratory failure during hospitalization, and this was predicted independently by neutrophil count, NLR, PLR, and a combined "NLR-PLR" index, with the combined index performing best. The C-index of nomograms was 0.952 (95%CI 0.930-0.974) when NLR-PLR was included, or 0.933 (95%CI 0.911-0.955) when it was excluded.

The prognostic biomarkers NLR and PLR may be independent predictors of respiratory failure in GBS. Combining the two indices may be more effective than either one on its own.