Utility of hematological prognostic marker in predicting disease outcome in Indian patients with covid 19 infection

Aims & Objectives: Aim: To establish role of hematological prognostic marker in predicting disease outcome in Indian patients with COVID 19 infection Objective: To study the role of neutrophil lymphocyte ratio in predicting mortality in Indian patients with COVID 19 infection Patients/Materials & Methods: Methods: 207 consecutive patients with COVID-19 infection admitted at our centre underwent evaluation Descriptive analysis of demographic data was carried out and risk factor for various disease outcome(length of hospital stay, use of mechanical ventilation, mortality and severe covid) was analysed using multivariate linear or logistic regression as appropriate Further neutrophil lymphocyte ratio was compared in patients with mortality with the rest using independent sample t test Results: Results: Mean age of the studied patients was 58 48 (13 79) years with 67(32 2%) female patients 74 patients (35 6%) had diabetes We found that in COVID-19 patients, diabetes (OR 2 37 CI 1 07-5 20) and hypertension (OR 2 88 CI 1 28-6 44) are independent risk factors for severe pneumonia The risk factors predicting mortality were age(OR 1 07 CI 1 03-1 12) malignancy(OR 11 52 CI 2 84-46 85) and chronic kidney disease(OR 5 68 CI 1 25-25 86) and increased neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (OR 1 05 CI 1 01-1 09) Patients with mortality had significantly higher neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (16 17 vs 7 74 p 0 001) Patients with Co morbidities Cerebrovascular accident(OR 15 60 CI 2 62-92 79) malignancy (OR 22 05 CI 4 00-121 40), chronic kidney disease (OR 8 65 CI 1 47-50 75) and HIV infection (OR 41 30 CI 6 45-264 19) are more likely to require mechanical ventilation The predictors of longer hospital stay were age (r -0 15, p 0 017), chronic liver disease (r 0 21, p 0 001) and fever at presentation (r 0 19, p 0 003) Discussion & Conclusion: Our data revealed that neutrophil lymphocyte ratio is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with Covid infection Early identification of this risk factor can help in instituting corrective measures to improve mortality in patients with Covid infection