The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in complete blood cell count may be an available marker for active adult-onset Still's disease

Abstract

In clinical practice, acute-phase protein measurements during inflammation are usually used to monitor the activity and severity of adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD).Objective: to study the possibility of using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in complete blood cell count as a marker for the activity and severity of AOSD in clinical practice.Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 48 patients (29 females and 19 males; mean age, 32.8±12.5 years) with active AOSD, who met the criteria devised by M. Yamaguchi et al. Along with standard clinical and laboratory parameters and systemic scores, NLR was calculated in complete blood cell count.Results and discussion. There was a statistically significant correlation of NLR with the level of CRP (r=0.532), ferritin (r=0.43), ESR (r=0.40), and the systemic score reflecting the severity of the disease (r=0.449), which allows NLR to be regarded as a tool that is convenient to assess the activity and severity of AOSD in clinical practice.Conclusion. The findings have shown the good sensitivity and specificity of NLR, which indicates the possibility of using the latter as an available marker for assessing the activity and severity of AOSD in clinical practice.