Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of delirium tremens in hospitalized patients with alcohol withdrawal

Abstract

Delirium tremens (DT) is a severe form of alcohol withdrawal that can be fatal if not recognized early and treated appropriately. In our study, we aimed to determine the role of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a marker of systemic inflammation, in predicting the development of DT. This retrospective study was conducted in an alcohol and drug treatment center between March 2017 and March 2020. A total of 212 patients with a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder who were admitted to a special care unit after alcohol withdrawal were included. Blood tests were collected within 24 h of the patients' admission. Comparisons were made according to whether the patients developed DT during the hospitalization. DT was diagnosed in 24.1% of the patients. It was determined that higher NLR level (odds ratio [OR]: 4.38, 95% CI: 2.58-7.43) and history of DT (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.23-11.73) are independent risk factors for the development of DT in the logistic regression analysis. The optimal cut-off value of NLR in predicting DT was 2.67 (sensitivity: 82.4%; specificity: 88.8%). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of NLR showed a larger area under the curve (AUC) than the curves of other systemic inflammation markers. NLR is a simple, practical, and inexpensive marker that can predict the development of DT in patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS).

Keywords: alcohol withdrawal; biomarkers; delirium tremens; neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio.