Prognostic nutritional index as indicator of immune nutritional status of patients with COVID-19

EKİNCİ İ., Uzun H., Utku I. K., Ozkan H., Buyukkaba M., Cinar A., ...More

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR VITAMIN AND NUTRITION RESEARCH, vol.92, no.1, pp.4-12, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 92 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000730
  • Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR VITAMIN AND NUTRITION RESEARCH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.4-12
  • Keywords: COVID-19, prognostic nutritional index score, malnutrition, adults, mortality, albumin
  • Bezmialem Vakıf University Affiliated: No

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the nutritional status, as assessed by the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) on the disease prognosis of patients with COVID-19. Methods: This retrospective study included 282 patients with COVID-19. The PNI score of all patients, 147 of whom were male, with a mean age of 56.4 +/- 15.3 years, was calculated. According to the PNI score, the patients with normal and mild malnutrition constituted group-1 (n=159) and the patients with moderate-to-severe and serious malnutrition constituted group-2 (n=123). Results: The PNI score was correlated with age (r=-0.146, p=0.014); oxygen saturation (r=0.190, p=0.001); heart rate (r=-0.117, p=0.05); hospitalization duration (r=-0.266, p<0.001); white blood cells (r=0.156, p=0.009); hemoglobin (r=0.307, p<0.001); C-reactive protein (CRP) (r=-0.346, p<0.001); creatinine (r=-0.184, p=0.002); D-dimer (r=-0.304, p<0.001); ferritin (r=-0.283, p<0.001); procalcitonin (r=-0.287, p<0.001); the confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age >= 65 years score (r=-0.217, p<0.001); and the quick sequential organ failure assessment score (r=-0.261, p<0.001) in patients with COVID-19. Mortality was significantly higher in Group 2 (p<0.001). Survival was significantly higher if PNI score was >41.2 (p<0.001, sensitivity: 78.7% and specificity: 84.2%). In multivariate regression analysis, among various other parameters, only PNI score and oxygen saturation had a significant effect on the disease course (p=0.02 and p=0.045, respectively). Conclusion: PNI, calculated from the serum albumin concentration and total lymphocyte count, is a simple and objective indicator that assesses the immune nutritional status of patients with COVID-19. The presence of malnutrition has a high predictive value in predicting the severity of COVID-19. Our data suggest that the PNI might be useful for risk stratification of patients with COVID-19 in clinical practice.