Inflammatory response and mortality indices in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Lima, Peru

Introduction Indices derived from hematological parameters have been proposed as simple tools for estimating severity and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, their independent relationship with mortality remains uncertain in hospital environments in Peru. Methods An observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study was carried out on 116 adult patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, treated at the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital (Lima, Perú). The association between inflammatory response (neutrophil/lymphocyte index, platelet/lymphocyte index, and lymphocyte/C-reactive protein index) and intrahospital mortality was evaluated via log-binomial regression, adjusting for clinical covariables and demographics. Results The mortality rate was 9.5% (11/116). In the bivariate analysis, the platelet/lymphocyte index was associated with mortality (raw prevalence ratio: 5.34; 95% confidence interval: 1.09–26.11); however, it did not maintain an independent association following adjustment (adjusted prevalence ratio: 2.80; 95% confidence interval: 0.31–25.71). In the multivariable model, age demonstrated a consistent association with mortality (adjusted prevalence ratio: 1.12; 95% confidence interval: 1.06–1.18), and orotracheal intubation was positively associated with the outcome (adjusted prevalence ratio: 6.88; 95% confidence interval: 1.13–41.99). Conclusion In the study, age was the main factor associated with mortality, while the evaluated inflammatory indices did not demonstrate any independent relationship with mortality in the adjusted regression model; thus, their utility would be complementary within multifactorial clinical risk models.