Comparison of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio with Child-Pugh and PELD/MELD scores to predict the outcome of children with cirrhosis.

Aim of the study: Prognostic scores are highly needed to properly manage children with cirrhosis and improve their clinical outcomes. The relationship between lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) at the time of admission to hospital and outcome of cirrhosis has been studied in adults, but to the best of our knowledge, there is no study regarding its utility as a prognostic marker of poor outcome in children with cirrhosis. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the potential prognostic value of LMR in such patients. Material and methods: At the time of admission, LMR, Child-Pugh, and Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease/Model for End-stage Liver Disease (PELD/MELD) scores were calculated for 114 children with cirrhosis. LMR and PELD/MELD and Child-Pugh scores were compared between the survivor and non-survivor groups. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed and the cutoff values were calculated using the Youden index. Results: It was found that LMR had a strong negative correlation with PELD/MELD ( Conclusions: LMR can be used to determine the outcome of cirrhotic children older than 6 years during the hospital stay because it is easy to calculate and its efficacy is comparable to PELD/MELD scores. Meanwhile, further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.