Table 1.
Comparison of Clinical Features of Patients with Different NLR Stability Groups
| Characteristics | Persistent High Group (n=109) | Decreased Group (n=175) | Increased Group (n=216) | Persistent Low Group (n=341) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age, year, 
|
74.2±7.1a | 72.8±8.8a,b | 72.1±9.7a,b | 71.0±9.6b | 0.008 |
| Sex, n, (%) | 0.383 | ||||
| Male | 88(80.7) | 136(77.7) | 157(72.7) | 263(77.1) | |
| Female | 21(19.3) | 39(22.3) | 59(27.3) | 78(22.9) | |
| Onset symptoms to admission time, day | 9(7–10) | 8(7–12) | 6(5–10) | 6(5–8) | 0.068 |
| Comorbidities, n, (%) | |||||
| Hypertension | 49(45.0) | 91(52.0) | 95(44.0) | 155(45.5) | 0.403 |
| Diabetes | 17(15.6) | 43(24.6) | 39(18.1) | 56(16.4) | 0.116 |
| Coronary heart disease | 32(29.4) | 45(25.7) | 41(19.0) | 80(23.5) | 0.172 |
| Cerebrovascular disease | 17(15.6) | 24(13.7) | 36(16.7) | 40(11.7) | 0.394 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | 0.063 | ||||
| Non-smoke | 21(19.3) | 48(27.4) | 67(31.0) | 78(22.9) | |
| Former or current smoke | 88(80.7) | 127(72.6) | 149(69.0) | 263(77.1) | |
| Exacerbations in the previous year | 27(24.7)a | 40(22.9)a | 25(11.6)a | 36(10.6)b | 0.001 |
| Charlson comorbidity index, n (%) | 0.221 | ||||
| 0–1 | 43(39.4) | 60(34.3) | 85(39.3) | 140(41.1) | |
| 2 | 35(32.1) | 55(31.4) | 78(36.1) | 110(32.3) | |
| 3 | 9(8.3) | 28(16.0) | 30(13.9) | 45(13.2) | |
| ≥4 | 22(20.2) | 32(18.3) | 23(10.6) | 46(13.5) | |
| Vital signs | |||||
| HR (rate/minute) | 80(76–88) | 82(76–90) | 81(73–88) | 80(73–89) | 0.494 |
| RR (rate/minute) | 24(22–28)a | 24(22–27)a | 21(19–25)b | 21(19–24)b | <0.001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 131(120–145) | 131(120–142) | 132(120–140) | 134(120–146) | 0.568 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 75(67–82) | 72(66–79) | 75(70–82) | 75(66–81) | 0.063 |
| Laboratory tests | |||||
| WBC (×109/L) | 7.9(5.8–10.2)a | 7.6(6.1–9.8)a | 6.2(5.0–8.0)b | 6.2(5.0–7.8)b | <0.001 |
| NEU (×109/L) | 5.8(4.1–8.2)a | 5.8(4.3–7.7)a | 4.0(2.9–5.2)b | 3.8(2.9–5.1)b | <0.001 |
| LYM (×109/L) | 1.1(0.8–1.4)a | 1.0(0.8–1.4)a | 1.5(1.2–1.9)b | 1.5(1.1–2.0)b | <0.001 |
| EOS (×109/L) | 0.18(0.07–0.26)a | 0.17(0.05–0.29)a | 0.210.14–0.35b | 0.20(0.14–0.29)b | <0.001 |
| PLT (×109/L) | 204(159–273) | 207(153–266) | 213(163–258) | 199(154–246) | 0.193 |
| HB (g/L) | 125(105–139) | 126(108–141) | 127(103–141) | 130(108–143) | 0.507 |
| PLR | 225.8(167.2–315.4)b | 210.1(157.6–291.8)b | 137.3(105.2–199.2)b | 123.8(99.1–184.1)b | 0.000 |
| ALB (g/L) | 38.4(36.2–41.1) | 36.6(34.1–39.3) | 37.9(34.7–40.3) | 38.0(35.1–40.4) | 0.300 |
| PH | 7.40(7.38–7.43) | 7.41(73.8–7.43) | 7.41(7.38–7.42) | 7.40(7.38–7.43) | 0.601 |
| PaCO2 (mmHg) | 41.7(37.3–46.5)a | 41.0(35.9–45.3)a | 36.4(31.8–40.3)b | 35.8(31.9–39.9)b | <0.001 |
| Lac (mmol/L) | 1.5(1.2–2.0)a | 1.6(1.3–2.0)a | 1.3(1.0–1.8)b | 1.5(1.2–1.8)b | <0.001 |
| PFR (mmHg) | 377.2(329.7–416.8) | 354.1(312.1–427.8) | 354.7(308.3–410.1) | 357.4(314.9–408.0) | 0.265 |
| Treatment, n (%) | |||||
| Antibiotic | 108(99.1) | 175(100.0) | 214(99.1) | 336(98.5) | 0.450 |
| Expectorant | 108(99.1) | 173(98.8) | 212(98.1) | 334(97.9) | 0.796 |
| Inhaled corticosteroids | 86(78.9) | 148(84.6) | 185(85.6) | 296(85.9) | 0.245 |
| Systemic corticosteroids | 23(21.1) | 42(24.0) | 33(15.3) | 54(15.8) | 0.068 |
Note: Different letters indicate significant differences among groups.
Abbreviations: NLR, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio; HR, heart rate; RR, respiratory rate; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; WBC, white blood count; NEU, neutrophil; LYM, lymphocyte; EOS, eosinophil; PLT, platelet; HB, hemoglobin; PLR, platelet-lymphocyte ratio; ALB, albumin; PFR, PaO2/FiO2.