Exploring Blood Cell Ratios and Serum Albumin Markers as Indicators of Congenital Hearing Loss

Abstract Background: Congenital hearing loss (CHL) is widely recognized as the predominant pediatric chronic condition. The disease not only affects newborns’ cognition and learning ability but also affects their overall life. The present research aimed to study blood cell ratios, serum albumin (ALB), and the albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) as markers among CHL patients. Methods: A total of 72 subjects were grouped into experimental and control groups on the basis of various audiometric assessments performed at a regional tertiary care hospital and research institute in South India. After obtaining written informed consent from the participants’ parents, 5 mL blood samples were collected, of which 1 mL was collected in a heparinized tube, and the remaining samples were collected in a serum-separating tube with a clot activator. The serum thus obtained was analyzed for the estimation of ALB. Accordingly, the globulin concentration and AGR were calculated. A complete blood count was performed using whole blood, and the ratio of the inflammatory markers was calculated. Results: The monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and neutrophil-to-monocyte-plus-lymphocyte ratio (NLMR) were significantly greater among experimental subjects, whereas the ALB and globulin levels were significantly lower, although within the normal range. However, insignificant differences were observed for the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio, and AGR. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the NLR performed best (area under the curve (AUC): 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.722–0.907), followed by the ALB level (AUC: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.685–0.882) and the MLR (AUC: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.59–0.81). Conclusion: The NLR, MLR, and serum ALB concentration may be considered prognostic signature molecules for sensorineural hearing loss (CHL) in the pediatric population. The estimation of these markers is relatively simple and cost-effective.