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Brazilian Journal of Clinical Medicine and Review

Health Review

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025): January/December - 2025

The Association Between Hematocrit Ratio and Outcomes in Kidney Transplantation: An Integrative Literature Review

DOI
https://doi.org/10.52600/2965-0968.bjcmr.2025.3.1.bjcmr32
Submitted
March 10, 2025
Published
2025-04-28

Abstract

With the increasing number of people affected by chronic diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, advances in treatments are being widely studied. Kidney transplantation is a commonly used curative measure when viable, and numerous studies focus on improving techniques and prognosis for both the patient and the graft. Recently, various cellular ratios have been applied and tested with the aim of clinically evaluating and estimating the likelihood of organ rejection after transplantation. The main one is the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an effective, economical, and accessible measure for the practical clinical assessment of the degree of inflammation after kidney transplantation and, consequently, for predicting acute rejection (AR). The objective of this study was to search the literature for evidence regarding the behavior of cellular ratios and the status of kidney transplantation, investigating the association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and potential complications or outcomes in kidney transplantation. An integrative review was conducted through a bibliographic survey on the PubMed, Lilacs, and Scielo platforms between August 2023 and October 2024, selecting articles through pre-established filters related to the topic, such as cellular ratios and kidney transplantation, resulting in the final inclusion of six articles published between 2013 and 2024. Upon analyzing the results, it was evidenced that a high preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR > 3.5) may be considered a predictor for delayed graft function as well as the detection of acute rejection. This study aimed to contribute to advancements in kidney transplantation and assist in the early detection of post-transplant outcomes, given the importance of this treatment and the maintenance of a good prognosis for transplant patients. It also sought to encourage further research to better define the relevance and applicability of cellular ratio analysis, which is still underutilized in clinical practice, since there is no consensus regarding the sensitivity and specificity of this analysis for kidney transplantation outcomes and other clinical applications.

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