Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, a critical predictor for assessment of disease severity in patients with COVID-19

INTRODUCTION: Monitoring of laboratory indicators is important for predicting changes in disease severity and clinical outcomes We aimed to identify the critical predictors that can effectively assess the disease conditions of patients with COVID-19 by analyzing the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection METHODS: All consecutive patients (n = 294) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the General Hospital of Central Theater Command of the PLA from February 6 to February 21, 2020, were enrolled These patients were divided into the severe group and the nonsevere group according to disease severity during hospitalization RESULTS: The median neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) value of the severe patients was dramatically higher than that of the nonsevere patients (10 4 vs 2 6;P 05) DISCUSSION: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a critical predictor for assessment of disease severity in patients with COVID-19, and it has a close relation with the laboratory indicators related to disease conditions