Association of Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Platelet Ratio With Acute Kidney Injury in Severe COVID-19

Background Severe disease from COVID-19 was the leading cause of admission to the emergency room and hospitalization during the pandemic in Mexico. Acute kidney injury was one of the most prevalent complications in these patients. The neutrophil/lymphocyte (NL) index and the neutrophil/lymphocyte platelet (NLP) index have previously been described as possible markers associated with complications and mortality in this disease. Objective To determine the association of the NL ratio and the NLP ratio in patients with acute kidney injury secondary to severe COVID-19. Materials and methods This is a case-control study, unpaired, of patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19 who presented or did not present acute kidney injury. On admission to the hospital, the hematological ratios were calculated, and Mann-Whitney U tests and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Results A total of 160 patients were included, and a difference in the NLP ratio (4.2 vs. 3.1, p = 0.001) was observed between patients with and without acute kidney injury. Additionally, the NLP ratio was the main risk variable for acute kidney injury in severe COVID-19, with an odds ratio of 2.5 and a 95% confidence interval of 1.108-5.66. Conclusions The NLP ratio has a moderate association and is a risk factor associated with the presence of acute kidney injury in patients with severe COVID-19.