Abstract

Background: Development and progression of HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) are associated with inflammatory responses. We aimed to explore the utility of blood cell count-derived inflammatory markers (white blood cell, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, red cell distribution width, and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio [MLR]) as prognostic index in HBV-ACLF patients.
Methods: A total of 160 HBV-ACLF patients were included in this retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of poor outcomes, and the performance of these predictors was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.
Results: Fifty-six patients died within 28 days after admission. MLR was markedly higher in non-survivors than in survivors. Moreover, MLR was an independent predictor for 28-day mortality.
Conclusions: This retrospective study found that MLR is a simple and accurate prognostic index for mortality in HBV-ACLF patients and can serve as a screening tool for prediction of poor outcomes in these patients.

DOI: 10.7754/Clin.Lab.2021.210217