Increased Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio Could be Predictive for Higher Mortality in Preterm Infants with Intraventricular Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple, cost-effective index of inflammation that can be measured by peripheral blood count. This study aimed to reveal that a high NLR value could be a prognostic marker for mortality risk in preterm babies born with IVH. METHODS: Preterm babies who had been followed up in the neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) between 2018 and 2020 were included in the study. These patients were examined in two groups, those who had had IVH and those who had not. The patients were evaluated by the week of birth, gender, first-minute APGAR score and NLR obtained from the first postnatal peripheral blood sample. RESULTS: A total of 113 babies had been born preterm and had been treated in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) were included in the study. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) was observed in 26 (23%) of the infants, and a total of 14 (12.4%) died, with the mortality rate being higher among those with IVH than those without (P = 0.026). There was also a statistically significant difference in the NLR between infants with IVH who died and those who did not (P < 0.001). NLR above 1.5 had 33.7 times higher risk of mortality compared to those with an NLR of 1.5 or below. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first study to examine the relationship between the NLR and mortality in preterm babies with IVH. This study showed that a high NLR was strongly associated with mortality in premature infants with low APGAR scores and having IVH.