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Platelet-to-neutrophil ratio and in-hospital mortality in pneumonia patients receiving glucocorticoid therapy: a multicenter retrospective cohort study

Junxin Lin, Rui Chen, Shang-Bo Xu, Wei Lin

Frontiers in Medicine, 2026

686 participants

Abstract

Background Pneumonia remains a leading cause of global mortality. Patients receiving glucocorticoid therapy represent a particularly vulnerable subgroup due to therapy-induced immunosuppression, which complicates diagnosis and worsens prognosis. The platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), a composite hematologic index, has shown prognostic utility in various diseases, but its value in glucocorticoid-treated pneumonia patients remains unexplored. Methods This multicenter retrospective cohort study utilized data from 686 hospitalized pneumonia patients receiving systemic glucocorticoids, extracted from the Dryad database. The association between admission PNR and all-cause in-hospital mortality at 30 and 90 days was assessed using Cox proportional hazards models. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate predictive performance. Results In-hospital mortality within both 30 and 90 days decreased significantly with increasing PNR tertiles (Tertile 1 vs. Tertile 3: 37.55% vs. 9.61% for 30-day; 43.67% vs. 10.92% for 90-day). In fully adjusted models, each standard deviation increase in PNR was associated with a 50% reduction in 30-day in-hospital mortality [Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.497, 95% CI 0.262–0.942] and a 58% reduction in 90-day in-hospital mortality (HR = 0.416, 95% CI 0.218–0.793). Compared to the lowest tertile, the highest PNR tertile was associated with a 76% lower risk of 30-day mortality (HR = 0.235, 95% CI 0.107–0.513) and an 82% lower risk of 90-day…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 686 participants or records.

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