The Clinical Significance of Complete Blood Count Parameters for Frequent Emergency Department Admissions and Re-hospitalisation in Patients with Asthma Attacks Requiring Hospitalisation

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with emergency department (ED) admission and re-hospitalization within 1 year following a baseline asthma attack requiring hospitalization, and to investigate the role of complete blood count (CBC) parameters in these attacks. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of patients hospitalized due to an asthma attack between September 2015 and September 2017. The number of ED admissions and re-hospitalizations due to an asthma attack within a year of the original admission was investigated and predictive factors related to frequent ED admissions (≥2) and re-hospitalization were analyzed. Results: Among the 59 study patients, the mean age was 58±16 years and 9 (15%) were male. Follow-up data revealed that 15 (25%) patients had frequent ED admissions and 20 (34%) patients were re-hospitalized within a year. Demographic details, additional diseases, and the baseline C-reactive protein level were not found to be predictive of subsequent asthma attacks. A baseline higher count of leukocytes (p=0.003) and neutrophils (p=0.001) and the ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR) (p=0.017) were found to be statistically significant in patients with frequent ED admissions. The risk of re-hospitalization was found to increase with a higher baseline NLR (p=0.022) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (p=0.024). Conclusion: CBC analysis can provide important clues for prognosis in asthma attacks. The NLR should be considered as a possible indicator of frequent ED admissions, and the NLR and PLR should be taken into account as potential signs of re-hospitalization.