Dynamics of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated with Disease Severity, Progression and Prognosis of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China

Background: Since the first report of COVID-19 in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the outbreak of the disease is currently continuously evolving. Objective: To evaluate the association between dynamics of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR) and disease severity, progression and prognosis of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and explored the optimal cut-off value of NLR for predicting the prognosis in COVID-19. Methods: Retrospective a single-center study of 363 patients with COVID-19 at Union Hospital in Wuhan from January 15, 2020 to March 31, 2020. Collected demographic information, routine laboratory examination, imaging characteristics, complications and treatment regimens. Results: The dynamics of NLR taken within three weeks after admission in the critical group was significantly higher than that in severe group (P 6.39 group was significantly increased relative to the patients with an NLR≤6.39 (P<0.001). Conclusion: A high NLR value was associated with disease severity, progression and an overall poor prognosis at least during the first three weeks of COVID-19. Funding Statement: None. Declaration of Interests: All authors declare no competing financial interests related to this article. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuhan Union Hospital.