1 research outputs found
The Association Between Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio and Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis
Background: Elevated neutrophil count is associated with poor prognosis
and increased mortality in many conditions. Neutrophil to lymphocyte
ratio (NLR) has emerged as a marker of inflammation in neoplastic and
cardiovascular disorders. Herein, we investigated utility of this simple
tool in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Methods: The study consisted of 136 RA and 140 AS patients, along with
117 healthy control subjects. RA and AS activities were determined with
Disease Activity Score (DAS) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease
Activity indices (BASDAI), respectively. The association between NLR and
disease activity was analyzed. Results: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
(ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil counts were
significantly higher in RA and AS patients compared to healthy controls.
Similarly, NLR was higher compared to control subjects, both in RA (2.53
+/- 1.4 vs. 2.16 +/- 1.0, P = 0.019) and AS (2.43 +/- 1.4 vs. 2.16 +/-
1.0, P = 0.077). NLR correlated well with ESR and CRP, both in RA and
AS. Moreover, NLR increased across worsening DAS28 activity groups (2.1
+/- 1.0 in patients with remission, 2.5 +/- 1.0 in low-moderate, 3.8 +/-
2.5 in high disease activity). However, no association was found between
NLR and BASDAI. Conclusion: NLR is a cheap and readily available marker
for the assessment of disease activity in RA. (C) 2015 Wiley
Periodicals, Inc