Validation of blood-based indices associated with sarcopenia for the prediction of pneumonia and delirium in patients with acute withdrawal from excessive alcohol consumption

Objective: This study aimed to explore the hematology-derived relationship between the blood-based indices associated with sarcopenia including the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and serum AST/ALT ratio, and the risk of pneumonia and delirium among hospitalized patients experiencing acute withdrawal from excessive alcohol consumption. Study design: For this retrospective study, patients experiencing acute withdrawal from excessive alcohol consumption who underwent inpatient treatment at a psychiatric teaching hospital in western China between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2023 were analyzed. Patient-related data were accessed through an electronic medical record database, and logistic regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between the blood-based indices associated with sarcopenia and the risk of developing pneumonia and delirium in this population. Result: This study enrolled 553 patients. The incidence of pneumonia and delirium in this group of patients was 13.74%. AST/ALT ratios were significantly higher in patients with pneumonia relative to non-pneumonia patients (P<0.001) and in those with delirium versus those with no delirium (P<0.01); compared with the low AST/ALT group, the high AST/ALT group had a higher prevalence of pneumonia (21.90% vs. 11.06%, P<0.01) and delirium (20.44% vs. 11.54%, P<0.05). When the AST/ALT was used as a categorical variable, after adjustment for confounding factors, logistic regression showed that the high AST/ALT group had a higher risk of pneumonia (OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.09-3.34) and delirium (OR = 1.92, 95%CI: 1.03-3.58) than the low-AST/ALT group. When the AST/ALT were used as continuous variables, after adjustment for potential risk factors, logistic regression showed that higher AST/ALT was associated with a greater risk of both pneumonia and delirium (pneumonia, OR = 1.48, 95%CI: 1.10-2.00; delirium, OR = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.14-2.19). However, NLR and PLR were not associated with a risk of pneumonia and delirium. Conclusion: These results suggest that in patients with a history of excessive alcohol consumption and hospitalization for acute alcohol withdrawal, the AST/ALT ratio is associated with increased risk of both pneumonia and delirium, while NLR and PLR are not.