A-DROP and Blood Urea Nitrogen-to-Serum Albumin Ratio are Useful in Assessing the Severity of Pneumocystis Pneumonia in Patients Without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: There is an increasing incidence of Pneumocystis pneumonia among individuals without the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia). However, the prognostic factors for patients with non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia have not been identified. Moreover, A-DROP (for classifying the severity of community-acquired pneumonia) or the blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio, which is reported to be predictor of mortality of community-acquired pneumonia, has not been established as an efficient prognostic factor in patients with non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia. In this study, we analyzed the prognostic factors for non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia and evaluated the effectiveness of A-DROP and the blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio as prognostic factors.Methods: This retrospective study involved a chart review of the medical records of 102 patients diagnosed with non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia between January 2003 and May 2019 at five medical facilities. Prognostic factors associated with the 30-day mortality were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis.Results: Among the 102 patients with non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia, 46 (45.1%) had autoimmune diseases, 19 (18.6%) had hematological malignancies, 18 (17.7%) had solid malignancies, and 19 (18.6%) had other diseases. The 30-day mortality rate for non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia was 20.5% in this study population. Compared with survivors, non-survivors had significantly lower serum albumin levels and a significantly higher age, corticosteroid dosage at the onset of Pneumocystis pneumonia, alveolar–arterial oxygen gradient, A-DROP score, lactate dehydrogenase levels, blood urea nitrogen levels, and blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio. The results of multivariate analysis showed that a high A-DROP score and blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio at treatment initiation were significantly associated with the 30-day mortality risk.Conclusions: A high A-DROP score and blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio at treatment initiation are independent prognostic predictors of mortality risk in patients with non-HIV Pneumocystis pneumonia.

Usefulness of the blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio as a prognostic indicator of severity in acute ischemic stroke

“…The B/A ratio was shown an independent factor for predicting mortality due to pneumonia. Recently, some studies have demonstrated the B/A ratio is a useful tool for predicting mortality for other diseases [19,20]. However, in some studies, high BUN and low albumin levels were shown to affect poor outcomes in ischemic stroke patients.…”