Clinical significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in acute exacerbations of COPD: present and future

Angelo Zinellu, Elisabetta Zinellu, Arduino A. Mangoni, Maria Carmina Pau, Ciriaco Carru, Pietro Pirina, Alessandro G. Fois

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

41 Citations (Scopus)
40 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) are a leading cause of hospitalisation and death in COPD patients. In addition to the identification of better strategies to prevent AECOPD, there is an intense focus on discovering novel markers of disease severity that enhance risk stratification on hospital admission for the targeted institution of aggressive versus supportive treatments. In the quest for such biomarkers, an increasing body of evidence suggests that specific indexes derived from routine complete blood counts, i.e. the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), can significantly predict adverse outcomes in AECOPD. This narrative review discusses the current evidence regarding the association between the NLR and the PLR on admission and several clinical end-points (need for invasive ventilation, noninvasive mechanical ventilation failure, admission to an intensive care unit, pulmonary hypertension, length of hospitalisation, and mortality) in AECOPD. Future research directions and potential clinical applications of these haematological indexes in this patient group are also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Article number220095
Number of pages10
JournalEuropean Respiratory Review
Volume31
Issue number166
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Dec 2022

Keywords

  • Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • AECOPD
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • COPD

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