The importance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio to prediction severity of esophageal injury after corrosive substance ingestion.

OBJECTIVES: The ability to predict the severity of corrosive injury in patients remains challenging. This study aims to explore the potential of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) as novel diagnostic markers to predict the severity of esophageal injury following corrosive substance ingestion (CSI).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis on patients with CSI. Demographic data, complete blood counts, and endoscopic findings were collected and analyzed. Esophageal injuries were graded using Zargar's classification. The NLR and MLR were calculated and evaluated as potential predictors of injury severity.

RESULTS: The mean age, NLR, MLR, red distribution width (RDW), and platelet count were increased in the hospitalized patients. Patients with severe esophageal injury also had higher mean age, NLR, MLR, and RDW. In receiver operating characteristic analyses for patients with severe esophageal injury, the area under the curve for NLR and MLR in predicting injury severity and hospitalization was statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: NLR, MLR, and RDW hold promise as easily accessible and cost-effective inflammatory markers for predicting esophageal injury severity in patients with CSI. These markers could assist healthcare providers in assessing injury extent, avoiding unnecessary esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and guiding treatment decisions.