Conclusions

Elevated NLR and serum creatinine were independently associated with sepsis-related organ dysfunction and may serve as simple, inexpensive, and readily available biomarkers for early risk stratification at hospital admission. These findings support their potential use as adjuncts to routine clinical assessment, particularly in resource-limited settings. Future multicenter prospective studies incorporating serial biomarker measurements and standardized severity assessment are needed to validate these findings. Comparative studies evaluating NLR alongside established biomarkers such as procalcitonin may further clarify their relative clinical utility in predicting sepsis outcomes.