Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio and Serum Ferritin Levels in COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has challenged the world. A complete blood workup as well as continuous tracking of haematological parameters play a vital role in revealing the risks of disease progression and eventually help in better treatment and outcome. Aim: To access the haematological parameters {Complete Blood Count (CBC), Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Serum Ferritin (S. ferritin) levels} in COVID-19 patients to correlate its association with the severity of the disease. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study in which 200 patients who were confirmed as COVID-19 positive by real time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) in the month of July-August 2020 were included. Blood was collected from patients of COVID-19 using the routine methods and was evaluated for CBC and S. ferritin levels. Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) was also calculated. Results: The NLR was positively correlated with severity of COVID-19. Patients with higher NLR levels were admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) because of severity in their condition. In the present study, 42 of 47 (89.4%) ICU patients had S. ferritin levels >1000 ng/mL whereas only 8 (5.2%) of non ICU patients had S. ferritin levels >1000 ng/mL. Conclusion: The NLR and S. ferritin positively correlated with the severity of COVID-19 disease.