The Cost-Effectiveness of Requesting a Complete Blood Count (CBC) in the Management of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Sayed, Anwar A.

doi:10.3390/healthcare10091780

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Severe forms of COVID-19 that lead to mortality have been described to be of significantly high viral load and reduced adaptive immune response, namely, T and B cell responses [23]. In this study, the NLR had the capacity to predict mortality on its own and remains an invaluable tool in the management of COVID-19 cases given its wide availability and cost-effectiveness in comparison to other laboratory investigations [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Assessing the Diagnostic Values of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Systematic Immunoinflammatory Index (SII) as Biomarkers in Predicting COVID-19 Severity: A Multicentre Comparative Study

Sayed

2024

Medicina

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COVID-19 has been notoriously unpredictable in its clinical course. Such unpredictability poses a challenge to clinicians in predicting patients who will develop severe cases and possibly die from the infection. This study aims to assess and compare the diagnostic value of the NLR and SII as biomarkers in predicting COVID-19 severity, represented by mortality, with a multicentre comparative study including 855 patients in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to compare haematological indices between survivors and non-survivors. The median age of patients included was 41 years old, with an almost equal ratio of men to women. Most participants were Saudis, and the mortality rate in the study cohort was 13.22%. Non-survivors, as compared to survivors, were significantly older, had lower RBC counts, haemoglobin and haematocrit levels, as well as significantly higher WBC and neutrophil counts. Both the NLR and SII were capable of differentiating between survivors and non-survivors, with the latter having significantly higher values. However, the NLR was superior to the SII in such differentiation, as it had a larger area under the curve. This study further confirms the diagnostic values of the NLR and SII as biomarkers in predicting COVID-19 severity and mortality, with the NLR being more sensitive and specific. Clinical guidelines on managing COVID-19 cases should benefit from these findings by harnessing the value of the NLR in COVID-19 management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Assessing the Diagnostic Values of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Systematic Immunoinflammatory Index (SII) as Biomarkers in Predicting COVID-19 Severity: A Multicentre Comparative Study

Sayed

2024

Medicina

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“…Taken together, these findings highlight the potential role of emerging biomarkers in cancer management in the era of immunotherapy. Complete blood counts and their derived novel inflammatory markers have been ruled cost-effective tools in several instances ( 69 , 70 ). Their straightforward application and affordability support their adoption, particularly when their ability to predict treatment prognosis has been validated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio as biomarkers to prognosticate survival in advanced gastric cancer patients in the era of immunotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Matsas,

Aguiar Jr,

Del Giglio

2024

J Gastrointest Oncol

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Background Gastric cancer (GC) remains an important global health concern with limited treatment options for advanced cases. Immunotherapy has shown promising results, but identifying predictive biomarkers for treatment efficacy is challenging. Novel inflammatory markers, such as the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived from complete blood count measurements, have gained attention as potential prognostic indicators. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the roles of the PLR and NLR as predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in advanced GC and gastroesophageal junction cancer (GEJC) patients treated with immunotherapy. Methods A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted through PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library to identify relevant studies. A total of 16 studies involving NLR and 8 studies involving PLR were included. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the association between high biomarker values and poor OS and PFS. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Poor OS, PFS were defined by each study as statistically significant shorter survival. Results A high NLR was significantly associated with worse OS (HR: 2.11; 95% CI: 1.70–2.62) and PFS (HR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.43–2.17). High PLR was also significantly associated with poorer OS (HR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.44–2.17) and PFS (HR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.33–1.96). Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses supported the robustness of these findings. Publication bias was noted in NLR analysis for OS but not for PFS. PLR analysis showed low publication bias. Conclusions Elevated NLR and PLR are associated with unfavorable OS and PFS outcomes in advanced GC/GEJC patients on immunotherapy. These findings imply the utility of these easily accessible biomarkers in prognostic assessment. However, standardized cutoff values and further research on interactions with the tumor microenvironment and comorbidities are needed. Additional prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings for both biomarkers.

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“…Saudi Arabia was not different from the rest of the world in being affected by it, despite the strict and progressive measures it took to limit the pandemic's impact on the country [38]. Despite the local advances in identifying cost-effective prognostic markers of COVID-19 [39,40], COVID-19 vaccination was vital in tackling the pandemic and limiting its impact on Saudi public health. However, the public will to be vaccinated in Saudi Arabia was complex and differed across the country [41,42].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Reasons behind COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among the Parents of Children Aged between 5 to 11 Years Old in Saudi Arabia

Khatrawi

Sayed

2023

IJERPH

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Simultaneously with the development of the COVID-19 vaccination plan for minors, it is critical to understand the reasons related to parental COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. This study aims to determine the reasons associated with vaccination hesitancy among parents, and the prevalence and the characteristics of the parents who are hesitant to allow their children aged between 5 to 11 years old to be administered the COVID-19 vaccines. A web-based questionnaire was used to perform this study between May 2022 to September 2022 in Saudi Arabia (SA). Several factors, personal and social, affected the participants’ willingness to vaccinate their children with the COVID-19 vaccines. The age of the parents was found to have a significant impact on their decision to vaccinate their children. Those between the age of 40–49 years of age were the most willing to vaccinate (almost 41%) compared to those 50 years or older who were most resistant to vaccination. Female participants were more resistant to vaccinating their children compared to their male counterparts. Saudis were more resistant to vaccinating their children compared to the non-Saudi participants. Those private sector-employed parents were the most willing to vaccinate (16.6%), followed by those working in the governmental sector (13.8%). About 40.7% of non-healthcare workers were resistant to vaccinating their minor compared to healthcare workers (8.7%). In conclusion, the study presents several factors that affect the parental willingness to vaccinate their children in SA. These factors should be properly addressed when developing public health strategies to promote the COVID-19 vaccination of children in SA.

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The Cost-Effectiveness of Requesting a Complete Blood Count (CBC) in the Management of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

Assessing the Diagnostic Values of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Systematic Immunoinflammatory Index (SII) as Biomarkers in Predicting COVID-19 Severity: A Multicentre Comparative Study

Assessing the Diagnostic Values of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Systematic Immunoinflammatory Index (SII) as Biomarkers in Predicting COVID-19 Severity: A Multicentre Comparative Study

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio as biomarkers to prognosticate survival in advanced gastric cancer patients in the era of immunotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The Reasons behind COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among the Parents of Children Aged between 5 to 11 Years Old in Saudi Arabia

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