title: Lymphopenia as prognostic factor for mortality and hospital length of stay for elderly hospitalized patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lymphopenia is a common finding in elderly patients and its relevance is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical prognostic value of lymphopenia on the admission of elderly hospitalized patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  From 2012 to 2013, all consecutive patients >75 hospitalized because of medical conditions were prospectively included in the study. Sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. Lymphopenia was considered by a plasmatic lymphocyte count of <1100 × 10(9)/l. Hospital length of stay, in-hospital mortality and mortality after a 1-year follow-up were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total sample consisted of 180 patients, 90 of whom were females (50 %). Mean age was 83.8 years (SD 5.4). Lymphopenia was present in 45 patients (25 %) upon admission. When compared, those patients with lymphopenia showed a longer hospital stay (19.9 vs. 15.7 days; p 0.002) and higher in-hospital mortality (26.7 vs 7.7 %; p 0.001). The odds ratio for in-hospital mortality in patients with lymphopenia was 3.9 (p 0.03) and the hazard ratio for 1-year mortality 1.9 (p 0.038). Both groups of elderly patients, with and without lymphopenia on admission, showed no differences related to sociodemographic, clinical, or other laboratory data. The study showed no difference in rate of infections between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A quarter of our elderly hospitalized patients had lymphopenia on admission. Furthermore, lymphopenia seemed to constitute as a predictor for bad outcome in terms of a longer hospital stay, in-hospital mortality and 1-year mortality after discharge.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. mrubio@bellvitgehospital.cat.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubio-Rivas
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Formiga
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grillo
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gili
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Celina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Bellvitge University Hospital-IDIBELL, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.|Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Corbella
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008231:Lymphopenia / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis
keywords: Elderly patients; Length of stay; Lymphopenia; Mortality