Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio in Neonatal Sepsis

Geng Dong; Tingting Ma; Zhe Xu; Min Zhang; Yidi Hu; Junmei Yang; Tiewei Li

doi:10.2147/IJGM.S432903

Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio in Neonatal Sepsis

Int J Gen Med. 2023 Oct 31:16:4965-4972. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S432903. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Geng Dong¹, Tingting Ma², Zhe Xu¹, Min Zhang¹, Yidi Hu¹, Junmei Yang¹, Tiewei Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Children's Infection and Immunity, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.
² Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have established an association between fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and cancer, cardiovascular disease, and coronavirus disease 2019. However, no studies have investigated the relationship between FAR and neonatal sepsis. This study aims to evaluate the association of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio with the presence and severity of sepsis in neonates.

Methods: A total of 1292 neonates with suspected sepsis were enrolled in this study. Clinical and laboratory data were collected from electronic medical records. Neonates with final diagnosis with sepsis were divided into the sepsis group, The remaining neonates were divided into the control group. Neonates with sepsis were further categorized into mild (n = 312) and severe (n = 425) groups based on the severity of their condition. FAR was determined by dividing the plasma fibrinogen concentration (g/L) by the serum albumin concentration (g/L). The statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS 26.0 statistical software package, as deemed appropriate.

Results: FAR levels were significantly higher in neonates with sepsis compared to the control group. Additionally, a significant gradual increase in FAR was observed in the control, mild sepsis, and severe sepsis groups (P < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that FAR had a positive correlation with PCT, CRP, and the length of hospital stay. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that FAR was independently associated with the presence and severity of neonatal sepsis. Specifically, FAR was identified as an independent risk factor for both the presence of sepsis (OR = 8.641, 95% CI 5.708-13.080, P < 0.001) and severe sepsis (OR = 2.817, 95% CI 1.701-4.666, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: FAR is significantly increased in neonates with sepsis and had a correlation with the severity of sepsis. Increased FAR was an independent predictor for the presence and severity of neonatal sepsis.

Keywords: fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio; neonatal sepsis; predictor; severe sepsis.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Key Research, Development, and Promotion Projects of Henan Province (222102310067, 232102310234), and Medical Science and Technology Project of Henan Province (LHGJ20210665, LHGJ20210672, and LHGJ20210681).