Although some studies have identified a possible link between the De Ritis ratio and the mortality of patients with COVID-19), the predictive value and the optimal cut-value remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the correlation between the De Ritis ratio and mortality in hospitalized COVID-19.

The data for this cohort study came from a retrospective cohort study that was carried out in a medical system in New York City. The primary outcome was the in-hospital mortality of included patients. The researchers ran multivariate Cox regression analyses, curve fitting, and subgroup analysis to support our findings. Overall survival in different De Ritis ratio groups was plotted as Kaplan–Meier survival curves.

The study enrolled 4371 participants with COVID-19 from March 1, 2020 to April 16, 2020. The overall mortality was 24.8% (1082/4371). The curve fitting analyses indicated that the De Ritis ratio has a positive linear connection with mortality in patients with COVID-19. After adjusting for all covariates, participants with a De Ritis ratio ≥2 exhibited 1.29 times the risk of in-hospital mortality compared with those with a De Ritis ratio < 1 (hazard ratio 1.29, 95% confidence interval 1.02–1.62, p = 0.031). The p for trend was < 0.05 for all models. Patients in the group with a De Ritis ratio ≥2 experienced the shortest survival time in the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.

A higher baseline De Ritis ratio is correlated with a corresponding higher mortality among hospitalized people with COVID-19.