# Relationship between C-reactive protein-albumin ratio and prognosis in pediatric patients with severe burns

## TL;DR

This study shows that higher CRP-albumin ratios in children with severe burns are linked to longer hospital stays.

## Contribution

The study identifies the CRP-albumin ratio as a potential predictor of hospital length of stay in pediatric burn patients.

## Key findings

- Low CRP-albumin ratios were associated with shorter hospital stays (≤10 days).
- High CRP-albumin ratios were significantly more common in patients with longer hospital stays (21–30 days and >40 days).
- CRP-albumin ratios showed a strong positive correlation with hospital length of stay (r = 0.529).

## Abstract

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a widely requested acute-phase protein. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between albumin, CRP, and CRP-albumin ratio values and hospital length of stay (LOS) in children with severe burns. A total of 150 pediatric patients who were treated in our hospital’s burns clinic or burns intensive care unit due to third- and fourth-degree burns between January 2019 and September 2023 were included in the study. The mean CRP-albumin ratio was significantly lower in those hospitalized for 10 days or less than that in those hospitalized for a longer period (p < 0.001). The rates of patients with high CRP-albumin ratio in those hospitalized for 21–30 days and more than 40 days were found to be significantly higher than the other groups (p < 0.001). Hospital LOS was positively and significantly related to CRP-albumin ratios (p < 0.001; r = 0.529). In children with severe burns, low albumin levels, high CRP levels, and high CRP-albumin ratios at hospital admission may be related to clinical presentation and hospital LOS.