Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Associates Independently With Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a biomarker of immune dysregulation in patients with cirrhosis and is inexpensive to measure. We investigated the association between NLR and mortality in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis at 4 liver transplant centers, controlling for severity of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).

METHODS: We performed a retrospective study using data from the North American Consortium for the Study of End-stage Liver Disease on patients with index hospitalizations for cirrhosis from December 2011 through December 2016. We collected data on patient demographics, NLR, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores, serum levels of Na, cirrhosis stages, infections, hepatocellular carcinomas, and ACLF severity (based on number of organ failures). Competing risk regression analysis evaluated mortality within 1 year after hospital discharge, accounting for competing events (liver transplant).

RESULTS: At admission, the patients' mean age was 57 years, mean MELD score was 21, and mean serum level of Na was 134 mmol/L. Sixty-eight patients had no organ failure, 21 patients had 1 organ failures, 7 patients had 2 organ failures, 4 patients had 3 organ failures, and 1 patient had 4 organ failures; 36% of the patients had confirmed or suspected infections. In univariate models, risk of death associated with increasing NLR, up to a value of 8 (hazard ratio [HR]= 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07-1.20; P < .001), and NLR quartile (for NLR range of 3-5, HR = 2.17; for NLR range of >5-9, HR=2.46; for NLR quartile >9, HR=2.84 vs the lowest quartile [NLR<3]) (P ≤ .001). The NLR remained statistically significant in multivariable models, adjusting for age, MELD score, hepatocellular carcinoma, and ACLF severity. Additionally, NLR was a statistically significant independent predictor of length of index hospital stay and mortality within 90 days after discharge.

CONCLUSION: In a retrospective analysis of patients with cirrhosis, we found NLR to associate with death within 1 year after non-elective hospitalization. In these patients, the risk of death associated with acute immune dysregulation persists long after their initial hospitalization.