Monitoring the Prognosis of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Predictive Value of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Red Blood Cell Distribution Width
Gökhun Arıcan, Hamit Çağlayan Kahraman, Ahmet Özmeriç, Serkan İltar, Kadir Bahadır Alemdaroğlu
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic values of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width in diabetic foot ulcers treatment. A total of 250 adult patients who were treated in our clinic between 2007 and 2018 for diabetic foot ulcers were evaluated retrospectively. Diabetic foot ulcers were divided into 4 groups: major amputation, minor amputation, chronic wound, and complete healing. The mean age of our study groups was 60 years (range = 55-65 years). The mean follow-up period was 28 ± 4.3 months. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width cutoff values were determined as 4.3 and 12.1, respectively, for patients in complete recovery group (C sig. = .995 and .871, respectively; P < .05). Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width cutoff values for patients in the major amputation group were 6.73 and 13.4 (C sig. = .864 and .951, respectively; P < .05), respectively. According to the χ 2 comparison of the groups, major amputation was seen in patients with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio >6.3, and complete recovery was seen in patients with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio <4.3. In patients with red blood cell distribution width >13.4, major amputation was found to be significant ( P < .05). According to these results, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width are inexpensive and easy to access predictive parameters in the diagnosis and follow-up of diabetic foot ulcers.