AUTHOR=Wang Zhong-hua , Lin Ying-Wen , Wei Xue-biao , Li Fei , Liao Xiao-Long , Yuan Hui-qing , Huang Dao-zheng , Qin Tie-he , Geng Heng , Wang Shou-hong 

TITLE=Predictive Value of Prognostic Nutritional Index on COVID-19 Severity

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2020.582736

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2020.582736

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been described as a simple risk-stratified tool for several diseases. We explored the predictive role of the PNI on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> A total of 101 patients with COVID-19 were included in this retrospective study from January 2020 to March 2020. They were divided into two groups according to COVID-19 severity: non-critical (<italic>n</italic> = 56) and critical (<italic>n</italic> = 45). The PNI was calculated upon hospital admission: 10 × serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (/mm<sup>3</sup>). Critical COVID-19 was defined as having one of the following features: respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation; shock; organ dysfunction necessitating admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). The correlation between the PNI with COVID-19 severity was analyzed.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The PNI was significantly lower in critically ill than that in non-critically ill patients (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the PNI was a good discrimination factor for identifying COVID-19 severity (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the PNI to be an independent risk factor for critical illness due to COVID-19 (<italic>P</italic> = 0.002).</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> The PNI is a valuable biomarker that could be used to discriminate COVID-19 severity.</p>