Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, and c-reactive protein as markers for severity of pre-eclampsia

Abstract

Objective In this study , we aimed to compare and correlate neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with different degrees of pre-eclampsia (PE). Patients and methods We recruited 105 Egyptian pregnant women with gestational age more than or equal to 34 weeks. They were divided into 35 normotensive pregnant women and 70 pre-eclamptic women and were further subdivided into 35 mild and 35 severe PE cases according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists criteria. Results There was no statistically significant difference between patients with PE and healthy pregnant women regarding NLR. PLR showed a statistically significant difference between the control and severe PE cases and between mild and severe PE cases. CRP levels showed statistically significant difference between the control and mild PE cases and between the control and severe PE cases. Conclusion CRP was more sensitive and specific than PLR to predict PE in pregnant women, so it can be used in prediction of PE. PLR was more sensitive but less specific than CRP to predict severity of PE in pregnant women, so PLR can be used for early prediction of severity. NLR cannot be used as a marker for prediction of PE or its severity.