NLR and RDW as Potential biomarkers of frailty:a scoping review postprint

Abstract: Background Frailty, as a disease associated with aging, has become an urgent health problem in the aging population in recent years. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW) are novel inflammatory markers that are readily available in clinical practice. To understand the association between changes in their levels and frailty, It is helpful to identify and monitor the occurrence and development of frailty, so as to provide reference for subsequent research on frailty. However, there are few relevant studies and there is great heterogeneity, and traditional meta-analysis is not applicable, so the research method of scope review was used in this study. Objective To integrate the relevant researches on NLR and RDW as potential biomarkers of frailty, so as to provide a reference for clarifying the pathogenesis of frailty and developing or improving related frailty assessment tools. Methods The scientific literature was performed by searching in the electronic bibliographic databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and SinoMed for research articles published on this topic up to March 1, 2022. The quality of the literature was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the American Health Care Quality and Research Institutions Cross-sectional Research Evaluation Criteria. Two researchers independently screened literature and extracted data. Results A total of 14 articles were included. Most of the studies showed that NLR and RDW were positively correlated with the risk of frailty and its severity. They were independent risk factors for frailty and could predict the progression of frailty. Conclusion As potential biomarkers of frailty, NLR and RDW provide additional evidence for the pathogenesis of frailty, and also a new theoretical basis for the development or improvement of frailty assessment tools in the future.