iarjmsIARJMSIARJMS2708-3594https://doi.org/10.47310/iarjms.2021.v02i01.008Prognostic Value of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio for Survival of Cirrhotic Children, Listed for Liver TransplantationFatimaGhandourMariamAtaollahiMahmoodHaghighatNaserHonarRouwaydaDanaBassemAbouMerhiZahraaGhandourBehnazDarbanBackground: Previous studies revealed that Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) is associated with cirrhotic adults’ mortality rate in the liver transplantation waiting list, independent of the cirrhosis stage or the (MELD) score Model for End-Stage Liver Disease. However, there is not enough information available about the usefulness of this ratio among children. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of NLR on the survival of cirrhotic children, candidates for liver transplantation, on the waiting list. Materials and Methods: In the present historical cohort study, cirrhotic children, younger than 18 years of age, listed for first elective single organ liver transplant, were recruited. Results: A total of 103 patients were studied. The median of the patients’ age was 4.5 years and the male to female ratio was 0.94:1. Sixteen patients died during follow-up (mean duration of 9.34±3.98 weeks). The clinic-demographic and laboratory parameters between surviving and non-surviving patients were similar to each other’s except for variceal bleeding, total bilirubin, PELD/MELD score and NLR that was higher among the non-survivor patients. After adjusting for confounding factors in the multiple logistic models, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for NLR for those who survived was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.04-1.87; P=0.026). The NLR has more specificity but less sensitivity than MELD/PELD score (81% vs. 70%) and (50% vs. 68%) respectively. Conclusion: We observed that a higher NLR was correlated with higher risk of mortality among the children who suffered from liver cirrhosis, on the liver transplantation waiting list.