Neutrophil to high-density lipoprotein ratio associates with higher all-cause mortality and new onset cardiovascular events in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Abstract

Neutrophil to high-density lipoprotein ratio (NHR), a new inflammatory marker, is associated with poor clinical prognosis. However, the correlation of NHR and adverse outcomes in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients remains unclear. In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 1051 PD patients were recruited from three centers during Jan 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2017. Eligible patients were distributed according to quartiles of the NHR. Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidence curves, multivariate COX regression, competitive risk analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were applied to analyze the relationship between NHR and all-cause mortality as well as cardiovascular events (CVE). In addition, forest plots were used to calculate the interaction between different subgroups. During follow-up, a total of 240 all-cause mortality and 157 new-onset CVE were recorded. The all-cause mortality in the highest quartile of NHR (> 5.43) were higher than those in the other groups. RCS showed a non-linear relationship between NHR and adverse outcomes. Multivariate COX regression indicated elevated NHR was an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality. Compared to the highest quartile, hazard ratio (HR) of new-onset CVE equals to 0.522 (95% CI 0.321-0.849) in the secondary quartile (2.43 < NHR ≤ 3.57), and the HR of all-cause mortality analysis is 0.551 (95% CI 0.378-0.803) in the third quartile (3.57 < NHR ≤ 5.43). Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested there were significant differences in all-cause mortality and new-onset CVE among four NHR groups. NHR was a new independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in PD patients.