Predicting Potentially Fatal COVID-19 Disease in Pregnant Patients Using the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR)

Objective: To evaluate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) values’ possible predictive role in fatal and severe cases of COVID-19 disease in pregnant women. Design and data collection: A case-control study was conducted with the inclusion of 45 pregnant COVID-19 patients. All the data were obtained from the hospital information system of Semmelweis University by two of the authors. Results: Statistical analyses showed that NLR values were significantly higher in patients with fatal COVID-19 compared to those who survived the disease, with or without mechanical ventilation. The study also assessed whether NLR values measured on the first day of hospitalization or at their peak provided better markers of disease severity. While both the first-day and peak NLR values were evaluated in patients who did not survive the disease, only the peak NLR values had predictive value regarding patient death. Conclusion: Based on our results, the peak NLR values appear to be useful markers of COVID-19 severity, with a cut-off value of 18.05. However, the authors suggest and hope that larger sample size studies will be conducted to further validate the findings of their research.