Prognosis in patients with complicated acute diverticulitis comparing neutrophil and lymphocyte ratios
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v15i1.50593Keywords:
Complicated acute diverticulitis, Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, Prognosis, Inflammatory biomarkers, General surgery.Abstract
Complicated acute diverticulitis represents a severe clinical condition, associated with high morbidity, frequent need for surgical intervention, and significant impact on patient outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients diagnosed with complicated acute diverticulitis, correlating its values with clinical severity and surgical outcomes. This was an observational, analytical, and retrospective study conducted through the analysis of medical records of patients admitted to a General Surgery service, with diagnosis confirmed by abdominal computed tomography. The sample consisted of 113 patients, predominantly elderly individuals and females. Laboratory data demonstrated a significant systemic inflammatory response, characterized by elevated neutrophil counts and a relative reduction in lymphocytes. NLR stratification showed that a substantial proportion of patients presented values above those considered normal, particularly exceeding the cutoff point associated with the presence of complications. A high rate of surgical interventions was observed, with nearly half of the patient’s requiring colostomy. Patients with higher NLR values showed a greater frequency of more complex surgical outcomes, suggesting an association between exacerbated systemic inflammation and worse clinical evolution. It is concluded that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio has potential as a complementary prognostic tool in the assessment of patients with complicated acute diverticulitis and may assist in risk stratification and clinical–surgical planning. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and to define more precise cutoff values for application in clinical practice.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Juan Miguel Macharé Torres, Frederico Japiassu Santiago, Nastar Melina Goméz Veléz, Malenna Mickaela Camacho Sanchez, Gabrielle Vaz de Azevedo David, Guilherme Lemos Cotta-Pereira
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