The role of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in distinguishing viral, bacterial, and parasitic acute gastroenteritis: A prospective study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, which has not been studied sufficiently to determine the cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide.

Methods: The prospective, observational study included patients diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis who were treated at Dışkapı Yıldırım Beyazıt Application and Research Center, Emergency Medicine Clinic between 1 September 2020 and 31 May 2021. Demographic characteristics, as well as neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, white blood cell count, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, were compared across the viral, bacterial, and parasitic acute gastroenteritis groups.

Results: A total of 168 acute gastroenteritis patients, 31 of whom had parasitic, 39 bacterial and 98 viral etiologies, were included in this study. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was 2.73 (4.03) in the viral acute gastroenteritis group, 4.58 (8.61) in the bacterial acute gastroenteritis group, and 4.52 (5.49) in the parasite acute gastroenteritis group. A statistically significant difference was found among the groups regarding neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (P=0.022). However, post-hoc analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio among the groups (P>0.05).

Conclusions: Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio alone cannot distinguish etiological causes in patients admitted to the Emergency Medicine Clinic diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis.

Keywords

Acute gastroenteritis / Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio / Infectious disease

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Funding

There was no extramural funding received for conducting this study.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon request.

Publisher’s note

The Publisher of the Journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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