Utilidad de la relación neutrófilos-linfocitos (NLR) como predictor de mortalidad en pacientes con neumonía adquirida en la comunidad (NAC) del Hospital de Especialidades Teodoro Maldonado Carbo en el periodo 2019.

Abstract

Objective: To demonstrate the predictive utility of mortality of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods and Results: A retrospective, observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study was carried out in 46 hospitalized patients at the Teodoro Maldonado Carbo Hospital in 2019. Comorbidities, demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, culture, and hospital outcome data were recorded. Percentages were used for the qualitative variables and averages for the quantitative ones. The chi-square test was used for the qualitative variables and the T test for the quantitative variables to determine the association between the predictors of interest (NLR, CURB-65, PSI) and mortality at 30 days. A value of p <0,05 was considered significant. ROC curves were performed to assess sensitivity and specificity to predict mortality at 30 days. The mean age of the patients was 70,7 ± 2,2; 80,4% were admitted to the Intensive Unit Care (ICU), and 28,3% had prolonged hospitalization. The average NLR in the deceased was 24,14 ± 38,12, while the non-deceased was 16,9 ± 11,4 (p = 0,168). The CURB-65 and PSI scales had a p value of 0,439 and 0,495 respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) of PSI, 0,648, was higher than the AUC of CURB-65 and NLR, with values of 0,496 and 0,475, respectively. Conclusion: No predictive utility of NLR was found for mortality, probably due to the small number of patients with CAP studied.