Association of sTREM-1 and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as Prognostic Markers in COVID-19 Short- and Long-Term Mortality

Lyudmila Turgunova; Irina Mekhantseva; Lyudmila Akhmaltdinova; Mikhail Kostinov; Zhibek Zhumadilova; Anar Turmukhambetova

doi:10.2147/JIR.S435305

Association of sTREM-1 and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as Prognostic Markers in COVID-19 Short- and Long-Term Mortality

J Inflamm Res. 2023 Dec 4:16:5807-5817. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S435305. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Lyudmila Turgunova¹, Irina Mekhantseva¹, Lyudmila Akhmaltdinova¹, Mikhail Kostinov^{2

3}, Zhibek Zhumadilova¹, Anar Turmukhambetova¹

Affiliations

¹ Karaganda Medical University, Department of Internal Medicine, Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
² I.I. Mechnikov Research Institute of Vaccines and Sera, Moscow, Russia.
³ Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Department of Epidemiology and Modern Vaccination Technologies, Moscow, Russia.

Abstract

Aim: Current problem related to COVID-19 is various complications after disease, especially long-term mortality after COVID-19. Routine blood tests presented their effectiveness in the diagnosis, prognosis and mortality of COVID-19. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an important marker of systemic inflammation. Soluble Trigger receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) is considered an intrinsic enhancer of inflammatory signals. This study examined the predictive value of these markers in COVID-19 mortality.

Methods: A prospective study was conducted involving patients with COVID-19 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was calculated as the absolute number of neutrophils divided by the absolute number of lymphocytes. The level of sTREM-1 in the blood serum was evaluated by ELISA.

Results: Plasma sTREM-1 concentration greater than 59.08 pg/mL and an NLR greater than 2.29 had an increased risk of early mortality (hazard ratio = 8.07; 95% CI: 1.03-62.17 and 9.24; 95% CI: 1.202-71.08, respectively); for long-term mortality of sTREM-1 greater than 47.34 pg/mL (hazard ratio = 7.96; 95% CI: 1.072-59.18) and NLR greater than 2.10 (hazard ratio = 11.52; 95% CI: 1.551-85.52).

Conclusion: This study suggests that early levels of sTREM-1 and NLR are associated with the risk of 6-month mortality after experiencing COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; mortality; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio; prognostic markers; sTREM‐1.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Program No. BR11065386.