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Research Article: The Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Can Predict Sepsis’s Presence and Severity in Malnourished Infants—A Single Center Experience

Date Published: 2023-09-28

Abstract:
Sepsis represents one of the leading causes of death in newborns and infants, and prompt diagnosis is essential for achieving favorable outcomes. Regarding malnourished children with concurrent infection, most studies have focused, besides blood culture, on C-reactive protein and procalcitonin. Because malnutrition has a deleterious effect on cellular immune competence, the present study characterized the acute-phase response, including hematological indices, in response to sepsis. Among the examined laboratory biomarkers, procalcitonin and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were the most accurate discriminators between sepsis patients and those with bacterial infection. Moreover, these two parameters showed a gradual increase between sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock patients (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis of the sepsis group revealed positive correlations of NLR with prolonged ICU stay (<0.001), acute organ dysfunction (0.038), mechanical ventilation (<0.001), and fatality (<0.001). In summary, our results suggest that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio can be used as an auxiliary diagnostic index in discriminating the presence and severity of bacterial sepsis in malnourished infants.

Introduction:
Despite ongoing improvements in intensive care technology and diagnostic possibilities, sepsis remains one of the most common causes of death in newborns and infants [1,2,3,4]. Early and accurate sepsis recognition is essential for favorable outcomes [5]. However, this represents a challenge, especially in infants with illness-related malnutrition, due to overlapping clinical manifestations of sepsis and preexisting chronic disease, and also a nonspecific clinical picture [6].

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