Platelet‐to‐white blood cell ratio: A novel and promising prognostic marker for HBV‐associated decompensated cirrhosis

AIM: The present study aimed to investigate associations of the platelet‐to‐white blood cell ratio (PWR)—a novel hematological indicator of inflammatory responses—with 30‐day outcomes in patients with HBV‐associated decompensated cirrhosis (HBV‐DeCi). METHODS: We recruited 131 patients with HBV‐DeCi for this retrospective study and extracted baseline clinical data and laboratory characteristics from medical records. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine major factors influencing 30‐day mortality. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analyses was performed to compare the predictive values of prognostic markers. RESULTS: During the 30‐day follow‐up period, 15 patients died. The PWR was significantly different between nonsurvivors and survivors. Lower PWR was found to be associated with an increased risk of mortality, and PWR was found to be an independent predictor of mortality in patients with HBV‐DeCi. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that low PWR may be a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with HBV‐DeCi, and this factor may be a useful supplement to standard approaches to enable effective management of these patients.