The relationship of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with gastrointestinal bleeding in Henoch–Schonlein purpura

Deciphering the Pharmacological Mechanism of Compound Purpura Decoction in Treating Henoch-Schonlein Purpura by Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and Experimental Validation

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is an immunoglobulin A (IgA)-mediated systemic vasculitis that frequently develops in children and may progress to serious complications. Compound purpura decoction (CPD), a classical herbal combination, exerts favourable effects on the clinical symptoms and prognosis of HSP; however, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. First, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis identified five bioactive components in CPD, including protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, mangiferin, baicalin and buddleoside, with contents of 0.011 ± 0.02, 0.577 ± 0.33, 0.150 ± 0.05, 1.132 ± 0.23 and 0.369 ± 0.23 mg/g, respectively. Additionally, we established an animal model of allergic purpura to evaluate the therapeutic effects of CPD on HSP. CPD effectively alleviated renal and cutaneous vasculitis and reduced IgA deposition. CPD could regulate the Treg/Th17 cell balance, decrease the levels of the proinflammatory factors interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α, and suppress the expression of C3 and C5 (p < 0.05). Network pharmacology analysis suggested that the mechanism of CPD in HSP treatment mainly involved epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-related targets and pathways, followed by molecular docking confirming strong binding affinity between EGFR and the bioactive components (binding energy< -4.25 kcal/mol). Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot showed that CPD suppressed the activation of the EGFR/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling pathway (p < 0.05), which could be associated with the inhibition of complement system activation. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the pathogenesis and treatment of HSP.

Exploring the predictive factors in the gastrointestinal involvement of patients with immunoglobulin A vasculitis

BACKGROUND

Immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV), the most common systemic vasculitis in children, typically presents with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in about half of cases. This study aimed to analyze the clinical and laboratory findings of patients with IgAV regarding GI involvement.

METHODS

We compared the GI involvement data of the patients diagnosed with IgAV.

RESULTS

Of the 210 patients (60.5% female and 39.5% male), 101 had GI involvement, with abdominal pain being the predominant symptom (n=98). White blood cell, neutrophil, monocyte, and platelet counts, C-reactive protein, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) were significantly elevated in patients with GI involvement (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.01, p=0.005, p=0.002, p<0.001, p=0.03, p=0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). The cutoff values for SII (>1035.7), SIRI (>1.65), NLR (>2.73), and MLR (>0.28) were determined, yielding respective sensitivities of 46%, 59%, 47%, and 53%, specificities of 83.1%, 69.1%, 81.3%, and 71.9%. Corresponding areas under the curve were 0.658, 0.668, 0.649, and 0.634, respectively (all p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Although IgAV is a self-limiting disease, GI involvement can lead to serious consequences. Systemic inflammatory indices such as SII and SIRI may be indicative in identifying patients with GI involvement.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio predict outcome of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in emergency

Background

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple marker of systemic inflammatory responses. The present study aims to evaluate the prognostic significance of the NLR on admission day in predicting outcomes for patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), which is a prevalent medical emergency.

Methods

726 patients who were admitted to our clinic between January 2019 and December 2022 diagnosed with UGIB, and who underwent necessary examinations, were included in the study. The patients' Glasgow-Blatchford Score (GBS), Full Rockall Score (FRS), and NLR levels were calculated at the first admission. Outcomes were defined as in-hospital mortality, need for blood transfusion, surgical treatment and endoscopic therapy. Patients were categorized into four groups using NLR quartile levels to compare their clinical characteristics, Glasgow Blatchford Score, Full Rockall Score levels, and prognosis. Secondary, we modified FRS and GBS by adding NLR, respectively. We used area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) to assess the accuracy of risk prediction for NLR, NLR-GBS, and NLR-FRS improved models.

Results

Of 726 patients, 6% died in hospital, 23.9% received endoscopic interventon, 4.8% received surgical treatment, and 46.4% received transfusion therapy. Multifactorial logistic regression showed that a high level of NLR was a risk factor for death in patients with UGIB (p = 0.028). NLR, GBS, FRS, NLR-GBS, and NLR-FRS have sufficient accuracy in predicting inpatient mortality, endoscopic treatment, and transfusion treatment, and the differences are statistically significant (p < 0.05). In the comprehensive prediction of adverse outcomes, NLR-GBS has the highest AUROC, and in predicting inpatient mortality, NLR-FRS has the highest AUROC.

Conclusion

For UGIB patients, a high NLR was strongly associated with high risk UGIB. Combined testing with the GBS and FRS can achieve good predictive results, which is valuable in guiding the pre-screening and triage of emergency nursing care and clinical treatment to ensure that patients receive rapid and effective treatment and improve the quality of care.

Compartment Syndrome: An Uncommon Twist in Childhood Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) also known as rheumatoid purpura is the most common vasculitis in children. This condition affects small blood vessels, predominantly targeting the skin, digestive system, joints, and kidneys. Short-term prognosis mainly depends on abdominal complications, while long-term prognosis is mainly determined by the severity of kidney involvement, which occurs in about 35% of cases. Although uncommon, other organs such as the lungs, heart, or nervous system may also be affected. Compartment syndrome of the hand and forearm is a very rare complication of HSP. To our knowledge, only two cases have been reported in the literature. We describe the case of a four-year-old child who presented with rheumatoid purpura complicated by compartment syndrome of the hand and forearm successfully managed through emergency fasciotomy.

Role of Platelet/Lymphocyte, Neutrophil/Lymphocyte, and Interleukin-37/Interleukin-17 Ratios in the Occurrence and Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

This study was designed to investigate the correlation of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and interleukin (IL)-37/IL-17 ratio with the incidence/treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Firstly, fifty-eight patients with RA treated at the first affiliated hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2018 to January 2019 were selected as the RA group; forty-nine healthy volunteers were enrolled in the control group. RA patients were treated with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Next, the NLR, PLR, IL-37, IL-17 and 28-joint disease activity score using erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) were deleted in two groups. Subsequently, Spearman correlation analysis was adopted for the correlations of various indicators before and after treatment in two groups. According to the analysis results, the levels of NLR, PLR, IL-37, and IL-17 before treatment in the RA group were higher than those in the control group (P < .05), but the difference in the IL-37/IL-17 level between the two groups was not significant (P > .05). After treatment, NLR, PLR, and IL-37/IL-17 levels were significantly reduced in RA patients (P < .05). NLR and PLR were significantly positively correlated with DAS28-ESR, ESR and C-reactive protein (CRP), of which represented the disease activity of RA. NLP was strongly correlated with IL-37/IL-17. Collectively, NLR, PLR, IL-37, and IL-17 are closely related to the occurrence of RA. In addition, NLR and IL-37/IL-17 are more suitable than PLR in reflecting the therapeutic effect. Therefore, IL-37/IL-17 can be considered as a new indicator for reflecting the treatment effectiveness of RA.

Immunological Features of Children with Gastrointestinal Bleeding Due to Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

Background

This study aims to evaluate the immunological features of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP).

Study Design

This retrospective study was conducted on children with HSP. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including serum immunoglobulin (Ig) levels, complement C3 and C4 levels, and lymphocyte subtype percentage.

Results

A total of 446 hospitalized children had HSP. Eighty-six children with HSP had GI bleeding, 114 had proteinuria, and 107 had hematuria. Lower arthralgia, prolonged glucocorticoid use, increased white blood cell counts, elevated neutrophils and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, reduced IgG and C3 levels, elevated CD19+ cell percentage, and reduced CD3+ cell and natural killer cell percentages were associated with GI bleeding risk in patients with HSP. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that arthralgia, glucocorticoid use, increased neutrophil percentage, reduced IgG and C3 levels, and increased CD19+ cell percentage were independent predictors of GI bleeding. Further analysis indicated that the combination of C3 and CD19+ cell percentages had a high predictive ability for GI bleeding in children with HSP.

Conclusion

This study indicated that reduced C3 and increased CD19+ cell percentages contributed to the development of GI bleeding in children with HSP. Specific immunologic profiles may be strongly correlated with GI bleeding risk in children with HSP.

The association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis

The inflammatory response is responsible for the promotion of pannus development over the joint, which is the primary factor in joint injury in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). More in-depth investigations have been conducted in recent years leading to a greater understanding of RA. Yet, it's difficult to gauge inflammation levels in RA patients. Some people who have RA do not exhibit normal symptoms, which makes it more challenging to make a diagnosis. Typical RA evaluations are subject to a few restrictions. Earlier research demonstrated that some patients continued to experience the progression of bone and joint degeneration even while in clinical remission. This progression was attributed to ongoing synovial inflammation. As a result, performing a precise evaluation of the level of inflammation is of the utmost importance. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has consistently been one of the most interesting novel non-specific inflammatory indicators. It is a reflection of the equilibrium between lymphocytes and neutrophils, which are inflammatory regulators and inflammatory activators, respectively. A higher NLR is linked to more severe levels of imbalance and inflammation. The aim of this study was to depict the role of NLR in RA progression and to show if NLR could predict the response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) therapy in RA.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at admission is a risk factor for in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding in acute ischemic stroke patients after dual antiplatelet therapy: A case control study

BACKGROUND

Gastrointestinal bleeding is a clinically important complication in acute ischemic stroke patients after dual antiplatelet therapy. The present study was to explore the association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who had received dual antiplatelet therapy.

METHODS

This restrospective study enrolled AIS patients who had received dual antiplatelet therapy in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2021. Patients were divided into a bleeding group and a non-bleeding group according to whether they had in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding. Propensity score matching was used to match the confounding variables between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between NLR and in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to test the prediction ability of NLR.

RESULTS

A total of 1130 patients were enrolled in this study. Before matching, there were 51 patients in the bleeding group, 1079 patients in the non-bleeding group. After matching, 49 pairs of patients were successfully matched. Multivariate regression revealed that NLR was an independent predictor of in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding in AIS patients who had received dual antiplatelet therapy. The area under curve (AUC) of NLR in predicting in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding was 0.908, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.878 and 0.857 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

NLR at admission is a useful predictor of in-hospital gastrointestinal bleeding in acute ischemic stroke patients after dual antiplatelet therapy. Still, more prospective studies with larger sample size are needed to validate the result.

Predictors of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis

BACKGROUND

Acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) is an immune-mediated inflammatory respsonse in the kidneys caused by nephritogenic strains of group A β-hemolytic streptococcus (GAS). The present study aimed to present a large patient cohort of APSGN patients to determine the factors that can be used for predicting the prognosis and progression to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN).

METHODS

The study included 153 children with APSGN that were seen between January 2010 and January 2022. Inclusion criteria were age 1-18 years and follow-up of ≥ 1 years. Patients with a diagnosis that could not be clearly proven clinically or via biopsy and with prior clinical or histological evidence of underlying kidney disease or chronic kidney disease (CKD) were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

Mean age was 7.36 ± 2.92 years, and 30.7% of the group was female. Among the 153 patients, 19 (12.4%) progressed to RPGN. The complement factor 3 and albumin levels were significantly low in the patients who had RPGN (P = 0.019). Inflammatory parameters, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, CRP/albumin ratio, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate level at presentation were significantly higher in the patients with RPGN (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant correlation between nephrotic range proteinuria and the course of RPGN (P = 0.024).

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest the possibility that RPGN can be predicted in APSGN with clinical and laboratory findings. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Severe gastrointestinal involvement in pediatric IgA vasculitis: a retrospective single-center cohort study in China

Objectives

The study aimed to describe the characteristics of gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in a cohort of hospitalized children with IgA vasculitis (IgAV) in China.

Method

We reviewed the records of hospitalized IgAV patients from January 2014 to December 2020 at one tertiary medical center. The patients were divided into the severe GI group and the non-severe GI group according to the presence of massive GI bleeding and complications. The clinical manifestations, laboratory factors, and treatment were analyzed between the two groups.

Results

A total of 1,179 patients were hospitalized due to IgAV. GI involvement was noted in 50% (589) of the patients, of whom 288 (48.9%) had severe GI involvement. GI complications were observed in 34 patients with IgAV with GI involvement. Rare onset age (<3 years or within 13-17 years), purpura above the waist, vomiting, high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and decreased serum albumin were factors associated with severe GI involvement. Frequencies of renal involvement and biopsy-proven nephritis were higher in the severe GI group. The most commonly used medications were corticosteroids (100.0%) in the severe GI group. The maximum corticosteroid dose was higher (2.9 vs. 2.0 mg/kg), and more second-line therapies were needed (30.9% vs. 16.94%) in the severe GI group.

Conclusions

Severe GI involvement in children is common in our center. Rare onset age, purpura above the waist, vomiting, high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and decreased serum albumin are associated with severe GI involvement. Patients with severe GI involvement need higher doses of corticosteroids and second-line therapy.

Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as a predictor of severe postoperative edema and ecchymosis in open rhinoplasty surgery

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and severe postoperative edema and ecchymosis after open rhinoplasty. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out retrospectively in 165 ASA I-II patients aged 18-45 years who underwent open rhinoplasty in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The patients were grouped based on their scores on the edema and ecchymosis scales. The degree of edema and ecchymosis was considered “minimal” (Group M) in those scoring 0-2 points and “severe” (Group S) in those scoring 3-4 points. Periorbital edema and ecchymosis of the patients in both groups were scored based on the digital photographs taken on the 1st postoperative day. Results: There was no significant difference in the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients grouped according to the degree of edema and ecchymosis. The optimal cut-off value of NLR was 2.1 (AUC = 0.747, Sensitivity = 0.666, Specificity = 0.707) for edema and 1.5 (AUC = 0.747, Sensitivity = 0.869, Specificity = 0.470) for ecchymosis. Multivariable analyzes for the development of edema and ecchymosis identified NLR (4.67 [2.38-9.40] and 6.54 [3.02-15.08, respectively) as a statistically significant independent prognostic factor. Conclusion: This study identified preoperative NLR as a predictor value of severe postoperative edema and ecchymosis after open rhinoplasty.

Association between common laboratory indices and IgAV recurrence in children

Background

IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is a common type of vasculitis seen in children. IgAV recurrence can result in chronic kidney disease. We aimed to explore the association between common laboratory indices and IgAV recurrence in children, and to establish a prediction model.

Methods

This retrospective study included children with diagnosed with IgAV hospitalized in Bazhong Central Hospital, Sichuan, from January 2014 to December 2019. Children were assigned to two groups based on IgAV recurrence, and baseline clinical data were collected for comparison. A logistic regression model to predict IgAV recurrence was established. The receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to detect performance of the predictive model.

Results

This study included 193 children (39 [20.2%], recurrence group; 154 [79.8%], non-recurrence group). Based on multivariate regression analysis, the duration of illness and joint involvement were independent predictors of IgAV recurrence in children (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in common laboratory indices (P > 0.05). The AUC of the prediction model was 0.766 (P < 0.001) with sensitivity of 74.4% and specificity of 68.8%.

Conclusion

Common laboratory indices were not associated with recurrence of IgAV in children.

IgA vasculitis update: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and biomarkers

Immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV), formerly known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, is the most common systemic vasculitis in children, characterized by diverse clinical manifestations with a wide spectrum ranging from isolated cutaneous vasculitis to systemic involvement. The incidence of IgAV is geographically and ethnically variable, with a prevalence in autumn and winter, suggesting a driving role that genetic and environmental factors play in the disease. Although IgAV has a certain degree of natural remission, it varies widely among individuals. Some patients can suffer from severe renal involvement and even progress to end-stage renal disease. Its pathogenesis is complex and has not been fully elucidated. The formation of galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) and related immune complexes plays a vital role in promoting the occurrence and development of IgAV nephritis. In addition, neutrophil activation is stimulated through the binding of IgA to the Fc alpha receptor I expressed on its surface, resulting in systemic vascular inflammation and tissue damage. Starting from the epidemiological characteristics, this article will review the role of immunological factors such as Gd-IgA1, autoantibodies, circulating immune complexes, complement system, cellular immunization, and the contributions of environmental and genetic factors in the pathogenesis of IgAV, and conclude with the major biomarkers for IgAV.

Construction and internal validation of a predictive model for risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in children with abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura: A single-center retrospective case-control study

Early identification of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in children with abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is essential for their subsequent treatment, and a risk prediction model for GI bleeding in abdominal HSP was constructed in this study to assist physicians in their decision-making. In a single-center retrospective study, the children collected were divided into two parts, a training set and a validation set, according to the time of admission. In the training set, univariate analysis was performed to compare demographic data and laboratory tests between the two groups of children with GI and non-GI bleeding, and the independent risk factors were derived using binary logistic equations to develop a scoring model for predicting GI bleeding in children by odds ratio (OR) values and receiver operating characteristic curves. The scoring model was then internally validated in validation set. The results showed that there were 11 indicators were statistically different between the two groups in the training set, including white blood cells, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelets, eosinophils (EO), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), sodium, potassium (K), albumin (ALB), Total bilirubin, and Immunoglobulin E (IgE) in the univariate analysis. Among them, the independent risk factors for GI bleeding included the six indicators of EO ≤ 0.045×10^9/L, hsCRP ≥ 14.5 mg/L, APTT ≤ 28.1 s, K ≥ 4.18 mmol/L, ALB ≤ 40.6 g/L, and IgE ≥ 136 ng/mL. According to the OR values, where EO ≤ 0.045 ×10^9/L, hsCRP ≥ 14.5 mg/L, APTT ≤ 28.1 s, ALB ≤ 40.6 g/L each scored 3 points, K ≥ 4.18 mmol/L, IgE ≥ 136 ng/mL each scored 2 points, and the total score was 0-16 points. The sensitivity and specificity of predicting GI bleeding were 88.7% and 64.2%, respectively, when the child scored ≥ 7 points. In the validation set, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the model in predicting GI bleeding were 77.4%, 74.5% and 75.2%, respectively. In conclusion, the construction of a scoring model to predict the risk of GI bleeding from abdominal HSP would greatly assist pediatricians in predicting and identifying children at high risk for GI bleeding at an early stage.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as an independent inflammatory indicator for poor renal prognosis in adult IgA vasculitis with nephritis

BACKGROUND

Skin-limited IgAV patients usually present self-limiting disease and good prognosis, while adult IgA vasculitis with nephritis (IgAV-N) present severe phenotype and poor prognosis. Previous studies showed that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was an inflammatory indicator for predicting systemic involvement in children IgAV patients. In this study, we focused on adult IgAV-N patients to explore the relationship of NLR with disease phenotype and long-term renal prognosis.

METHODS

In this study, 245 IgAV-N patients, 1151 IgAN patients and 251 healthy controls were recruited. Composite endpoint was defined as 30% eGFR declined or end stage kidney disease.

RESULTS

IgAV-N patients presented increased white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils (NE), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and NLR levels, while decreased lymphocyte (LY) than healthy controls. When compared to clinical and pathological features matched IgAN patients, IgAV-N patients still showed higher WBC, NE, and NLR levels. NLR showed the best performance for the diagnosis of IgAV-N with the highest area under the ROC curves (0.738). IgAV-N patients in high NLR group (>2.41) presented with sever baseline manifestations and more acute pathological lesions than low NLR group (≤2.41). 77 patients with regular follow-up were used for survival analysis. After adjusting some well-known risk factors, NLR levels remained as an independent risk factor for poor renal outcome in adult patients with IgAV-N (HR, 1.913; 95% CI, 1.314 to 2.787, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

NLR levels were associated with the clinical and pathological phenotypes, and NLR may serve as an independent risk factor for poor renal outcome in adult IgAV-N patients.

Clinical analysis of 99 children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura complicated with overt gastrointestinal bleeding

OBJECTIVE

To analyze and summarize the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) complicated by overt gastrointestinal bleeding (GI bleeding) for achieving early identification, prevention, and treatment in terms of severe GI bleeding.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on children with HSP complicated by overt GI bleeding who were admitted to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Beijing Children's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2019. According to the severity of GI bleeding, the patients were divided into mild bleeding group (61 cases) and moderate and severe bleeding group (38 cases). Inflammatory parameters, coagulation function, GI ultrasound findings, and clinical features were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the related variables affecting the severity of GI bleeding, and the ROC curve was used to determine the variable test efficacy.

RESULTS

Onset in summer, wide distribution of skin rash with facial involvement, the elevation of D-dimer and high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) had significant effects on the severity of GI bleeding. ROC curve analysis showed that the optimal cut-off points of NLR and D-dimer for predicting severe GI bleeding in children with HSP were 10.56 and 0.89 mg/L, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Facial rash may be a warning sign of GI bleeding. Enhanced monitoring of NLR and D-dimer is helpful for early recognition of GI bleeding as well as assessment of severity.

An Assessment on the Effectiveness of the Immature Granulocyte Percentage in Predicting Internal Organ Involvement Among Children With Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is the most common childhood systemic vasculitis. The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the immature granulocyte (IG) percentage as a new marker for predicting internal organ involvement in HSP. This study included 75 patients below 18 years old who were diagnosed with HSP. The mean age was 7.48±2.77 years. The male/female ratio was 1.14. The findings showed that 35 (46.7%) of the patients had an internal organ involvement. The mean IG percentage was 0.88±0.68 among the patient group with HSP internal organ involvement, while it was 0.31±0.15 in the group without internal organ involvement, and a significant difference was determined between the 2 groups (P=0.000). The findings showed that the patients with renal involvement had the highest mean IG percentage (IG; 1.00±0.21). When the cutoff value for the IG percentage was specified as 0.45 to predict internal organ involvement, the sensitivity was 77.1%, and the specificity was 85%. In this study, the findings showed that IG percentage increased among patients with internal organ involvement in HSP and that its sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were higher in predicting internal organ involvement compared with other markers.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte, platelet-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-monocyte ratios may not be useful markers to assess disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis: A STROBE-compliant article

The associations among the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis remains unclear.To evaluate these indicators as potential markers of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).This cross-sectional study included 547 adult patients with RA. The patients were divided into two groups according to the disease activity score (DAS) system: remission and disease activity. Differences in the NLR, PLR and LMR of the two groups were assessed. Correlations were analyzed using Spearman analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify the sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cutoff values to differentiate active RA patients from inactive RA patients.There was a statistically significant difference in the NLR (4.2 ± 3.2 vs 3.4 ± 2.4, P = .034) and PLR (222.3 ± 136.4 vs 176.9 ± 89.8, P = .006) between the two groups, but not for the LMR (3.0 ± 1.8 vs 3.4 ± 2.4, P = .115). In addition, the DAS28 and traditional inflammatory markers, including ESR and CRP, were weakly positively correlated with the NLR and PLR. Based on the ROC curves, the NLR (sensitivity 31.8%, specificity 77.8%) and PLR (sensitivity 57.3%, specificity 63.9%) were less valuable than the ESR (sensitivity 67.2%, specificity 91.7%) and CRP (sensitivity 76.2%, specificity 91.7%) for differentiating inactive RA patients from active RA patients due to low sensitivity and specificity and combining NLR or PLR also cannot significantly improved the diagnostic value of ESR and CRP.NLR, PLR and LMR may not be an useful independent diagnostic or complementary marker for disease activity in RA patients.

Predicting Severe Renal and Gastrointestinal Involvement in Childhood Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis with Routine Laboratory Parameters

BACKGROUND

Immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV) is the most common vasculitis in children. Although childhood IgAV is generally considered as a self-limited disease, progressive course and poor prognosis could occur in some cases which mostly result from severe renal involvement and gastrointestinal (GI) involvement.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective study of pediatric patients diagnosed as IgAV in our institution from 2016 to 2019. Patients were divided into groups based on the occurrence and severity of GI and renal involvement. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare results of laboratory parameters among groups and prediction models were built by using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 286 patients were enrolled. GI involvement occurred in 148 (51.7%) patients, 30 (20.3%) of which were severe cases. Renal involvement developed in 120 (42.0%) patients, 22 (18.3%) of which were severe cases. Compared with patients with only cutaneous manifestations, white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and D-dimer levels were higher in those with GI involvement, and D-dimer level was found to be positively associated with severity. Increased NLR and lower complement 3 (C3) were found in patients with renal involvement, but only C3 was relevant in distinguishing moderate and severe cases. The prediction model for severe renal involvement was: Logit (P) = 6.820 + 0.270 (age) + 0.508 (NLR) - 16.130 (C3), with an AUC of 0.914. The prediction model for severe GI involvement was: Logit (P) = -5.459 + 0.005 (WBC) + 1.355 (D-dimer) - 0.020 (NLR), with an AUC of 0.849.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest C3 to be an exclusive predictor for severe renal involvement and D-dimer level to be positively associated with the severity of GI involvement. Prediction models consisting of the above parameters were built for obtaining prognostic information in the early phase of IgAV.

Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Gastrointestinal Involvement Among Henoch Schonlein Purpura Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio has been examined among several studies regarding Henoch Schonlein purpura patients with gastrointestinal involvement. The current meta-analysis aims to evaluate neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio differences between Henoch Schonlein purpura patients with and without gastrointestinal manifestations.An extensive search of the available literature was done using MEDLINE (1966-2020), Clinicaltrials.gov (2008-2020), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (1999-2020) and Google Scholar (2004-2020) databases and statistical analysis was mainly conducted using RevMan 5.3 software.The current meta-analysis is based on data from six studies. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio was higher in Henoch Schonlein patients with gastrointestinal involvement than those without with a mean difference of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.55, 1.22 [P < 10-5, I2 = 8%]). Low heterogeneity (I2) was observed between the included studies. Subgroup analysis, leave one out meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis were performed which led to the lowering of I2 to 0.The findings of our meta-analysis suggest that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio could serve as a marker of gastrointestinal involvement in patients with Henoch Schonlein purpura; however, most of the included studies are case-control, therefore future cohort studies should clarify the value of this marker.

Renal biopsy in children with IgA vasculitis

Introduction

Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSN) is defined as Henoch-Schönlein purpura with kidney involvement, including hematuria and/or proteinuria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the data of HSN patients who underwent renal biopsy, and compare the main clinical and laboratory parameters that may affect renal biopsy findings, treatment protocols, and short- and long-term outcome of those patients.

Methods

Biopsies performed in 72 HSN patients between January 2007 to January 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. They were divided into two groups according to renal biopsy classification of the International Study of Kidney Disease in Children. Renal outcome, clinical and laboratory parameters, treatment protocols, and outcome were compared between groups. Short- and long-term follow-up of patients were evaluated.

Results

Of 72 patients, 47 were male (65.3%) and 44 (61.1%) were ≤10 years of age. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio was found higher in patients with scrotal involvement (p=0.042). Short-term unfavorable outcome was significantly higher in patients with scrotal involvement (p=0.038). Patients with hypertension and decreased creatinine clearance were found to have more unfavorable outcomes in long-term follow-up (p=0.029, p=0.040).

Conclusion

Cyclosporin-A and cyclophosphamide could be effective in steroid unresponsive HSN patients. Patients with scrotal involvement, decreased creatinine clearance, and hypertension should be closely monitored for sequelae of HSN.

Treatment of systemic JIA: When do we need a biologic? Real world data of a single center

OBJECTIVES

This paper aimed to present real-world data of treatment results of a single center in patients with systemic Juvenile Idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), in which methotrexate (MTX) along with glucocorticoids was preferred as the first-line treatment option.

METHODS

The medical records of 50 patients (58 episodes) with SJIA were evaluated. All patients with SJIA were hospitalized and were given high dose glucocorticoid treatment along with subcutaneous MTX. A biological agent was added in which disease activity control was not available with MTX.

RESULTS

Forty-one (70.6%) of 58 episodes were controlled by MTX, following discontinuation of steroids, while a biologic drug was needed in the remaining 17 (29.4%) episodes. The patients receiving MTX were divided into two groups: Group I (n = 36) (41 episodes) consisted of patients receiving MTX alone, and Group II (n = 14) (17 episodes) consisted of patients receiving MTX plus a biologic agent. Group I was dominated by the monocyclic course (56.1%), whereas group II was dominated by persistent course (70.6%). The initial erythrocyte sedimentation rate (82 vs 67 mm/h) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (8.6 vs 4.1) were significantly elevated in the Group II (p = .003 and p = .007, respectively). NLR of 5.23 predicted the requirement for biological agents with a sensitivity of 66.7%, specificity 71.4%. Odds ratio for NLR ≥ 5.23 was 5.1 in Group II.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that MTX was highly successful in cases with any SJIA episode, regardless of whether arthritis was present or not, even in cases presenting with MAS. A biologic drug is needed, if NLR is greater than 5.23.Key messagesHigh dose glucocorticoids with high dose SC methotrexate are the initial treatment option in systemic JIA.In glucocorticoid dependent patients, where methotrexate is ineffective, biologic therapy is mandatory.A neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio greater than 5.23 predicts the need for early biologic treatment.High dose S.C. MTX could be an option as an initial treatment in SJIA, especially biologics are not available.

Meta-analysis of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios in Henoch-Schonlein purpura and its complications

OBJECTIVE

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are associated with the severity of Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the clinical significance of NLR and PLR in HSP and its complications.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed databases from their inception to September 31, 2020. We used the standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) to estimate the pooled effect and used subgroup analysis to investigate heterogeneity.

RESULTS

A total of 1,691 HSP patients and 563 healthy controls (HCs) from 15 studies were included in the analysis. The NLR value was significantly higher in 431 HSP patients with gastrointestinal complications (HSP-GCs) than that in 833 HSP patients without GCs (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.62-1.57, P < 0.001); in 83 HSP adult patients with renal involvement (HSP-RI) than that in 131 adult HSP patients without RI (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.05-0.60, P = 0.021); and in 831 HSP patients than that in 563 HCs (SMD = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.51-0.89, P < 0.001). The PLR was significantly higher in 417 HSP patients than that in 264 HCs (SMD = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.06-0.71, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

NLR could serve as a useful biomarker to predict GCs and RI in patients with HSP. However, further well-designed and large cohort studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Clinical relevance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume in pediatric Henoch-Schonlein Purpura: a meta-analysis

The association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) with the severe gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in pediatric Henoch–Schonlein Purpura (HSP) has been reported in many studies. However, the conclusions from the previous studies were controversial. Therefore, for the first time, we performed a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the relationship of NLR and MPV to the severe GI involvements. We retrieved PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) (up to October 2020) thoroughly to acquire eligible studies. The pooled standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to describe the correlation of NLR and MPV with the severe GI involvement. A total of 1² studies comprising 2168 patients with HSP were included in this meta-analysis. Our combined analysis showed that NLR in HSP patients with the severe GI involvement was significantly higher than that in those without the severe GI involvement (SMD = 1.37; 95% CI: 0.70–2.05; p < 0.01). In addition, a lower MPV was observed in children with severe GI involvement (SMD = −0.29; 95% CI: −0.56 – −0.01, p = 0.042). Our sensitivity analysis and publication bias evaluation indicated that our combined results were reliable. Taken together, our study suggested NLR and MPV may be used as biomarkers for predicting or diagnosing the severe GI involvement in children with HSP. Nevertheless, more homogeneous studies with a larger sample size are required to validate these findings.

The relevance of practical laboratory markers in predicting gastrointestinal and renal involvement in children with Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

OBJECTIVES

Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (HSP) is the most common self-limiting vasculitis of childhood. Both serious gastrointestinal and renal complications may be observed during the disease course. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of hematological markers in predicting the likely complications of the disease.

METHODS

The demographic findings, clinical features, organ involvements and laboratory findings including white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volumes (MPV), MPV/platelet count ratio (MPR) were evaluated retrospectively from the charts of the patients with HSP and all these parameters were compared with the same parameters of healthy children.

RESULTS

A total of 376 patients with HSP and age- and sex-matched 233 healthy children were evaluated. Mean age at the diagnosis was 7.5 ± 3.5. All patients had palpable purpura, 46% had arthritis, 56.1% GIS involvement and 21.3% had renal involvement. While platelet counts, neutrophil counts, NLR, and PLR were higher, lymphocyte counts, MPV, and MPR were lower in patients with GIS involvement. NLR was the sole biomarker that was higher in patients with renal involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

This study had shown that platelet counts, neutrophil counts, NLR, and PLR were increasing and lymphocyte counts, MPV, and MPR were decreasing when the patients had GIS involvement. However, these parameters were not relevant in distinguishing severe and mild GIS involvement. When patients had renal involvement NLR was the unique elevated parameter.

The relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and the first occurrence of pneumonia in peritoneal dialysis patients

BACKGROUND

Although neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is closely associated with pneumonia in the general population, its relationship is unclear in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

METHODS

This is a cohort study consisting of 739 PD patients and dividing into two groups. Kaplan-Meier curves were applied to observe the incidence of the first occurrence of pneumonia, competitive risk analysis was conducted to compare whether there was a significant difference in each NLR group in the presence of other competing events, multivariable COX regression analysis was used to evaluate the hazard ratios (HRs), as well as forest plot was used to analyze the relationship between NLR and the first occurrence of pneumonia in different subgroups.

RESULTS

Of all the patients, 116 cases of first-time pneumonia were recorded. The first-time pneumonia incidence rate was 71.67/1000 patient-years in high NLR group, which was markedly higher than that of 45.81/1000 patient-years in low NLR group. Kaplan-Meier curves indicated significant differences in the incidence of the first occurrence of pneumonia between two groups (log-rank test p = 0.015). The competitive risk model suggested a significant difference in the cumulative incidence of first pneumonia between the two groups (p = 0.032). Compared to low NLR group, adjusted Cox model showed that high NLR group was associated with increased risk of pneumonia incidence (HR, 1.51; 95% CI 1.04-2.21; p = 0.031). Forest plot showed no interaction was found in subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of pneumonia was significantly increasing in PD patients with high NLR, which may have a certain guiding significance for the clinic.

Lymphocyte-To-Monocyte Ratio as the Best Simple Predictor of Bacterial Infection in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Background and aim: The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of new morphology-related indices and Child–Turcotte–Pugh (CTP) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores during hospitalization in predicting the onset of bacterial infection in patients with liver cirrhosis. Material and methods: A total of 171 patients (56.9% males; median age 59 years; total number of hospitalizations 209) with liver cirrhosis were included in this observational study. The diagnosis of cirrhosis was made on the basis of clinical, biochemical, ultrasonic, histological, and endoscopic findings. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), modified aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), aspartate aminotransferase-to-alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR), and CTP and MELD scores were calculated for the cases of patients with cirrhosis. Results: Bacterial infection was diagnosed in 60 of the 209 (28.7%) hospitalizations of patients with cirrhosis. The most common infections were urinary tract infection (UTI), followed by pneumonia and sepsis. The more severe the liver failure, the greater the bacterial infection prevalence and mortality. Patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis were infected more often than subjects with compensated cirrhosis (50.0% vs. 12.9%, p = 0.003). The calculated MELD score, CTP, NLR, LMR, AAR, monocyte count, and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration were also related to the bacterial infection prevalence, and mortality areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.629, 0.687, 0.606, 0.715, 0.610, 0.648, and 0.685, respectively. The combined model with two variables (LMR and CTP) had the best AUC of 0.757. The most common bacteria isolated from patients with UTI were Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Klebsiella pneumonia. Gram-negative bacteria were also responsible for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), and together with gram-positive streptococci and staphylococci, these microorganisms were isolated from blood cultures of patients with sepsis. Significant differences were found between CTP classification, MELD score, NLR, LMR, AAR, CRP, and PLR in patients with cirrhosis with, or without, bacterial infection. Conclusions: Bacterial infection prevalence is relatively high in patients with liver cirrhosis. Although all analyzed scores, including the LMR, NLR, aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT), CRP, CTP, and MELD, allowed the prediction of bacterial occurrence, the LMR had the highest clinical utility, according to the area under the curve (AUC) and odds ratio (OR).

Hemotologic Indices for Predicting Internal Organ Involvement in Henoch-Schönlein Purpura (IgA vasculitis)

Henoch-Schönlein purpura is the most common vasculitis of childhood. This study investigated the values of hematologic indices that can help predict internal organ involvement. The study included 112 patients followed up between January 2007 and May 2017 and 81 healthy children. Leukocyte, neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte and platelet counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were compared between patients with and without internal organ involvement. Overall, 57 (50.8%) patients had internal organ involvement. Leukocyte, neutrophil, and monocyte counts, NLR, and CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with internal organ involvement than in patients without internal organ involvement. There was no difference between the groups in terms of lymphocyte count, platelet count, and PLR. The cutoff values were found to be ≥10.8×10/L [area under the curve (AUC), 0.734] for leukocyte, ≥6.0×10/L (AUC, 0.665) for neutrophil, ≥0.710×10/L (AUC, 0.681) for monocyte, ≥3.95×10/L (AUC, 0.609) for NLR, and 2.41 mg/dL (AUC, 0.635) for CRP. Logistic regression analysis revealed that leukocyte count is a risk factor for internal organ involvement. Leukocyte, neutrophil, monocyte counts, NLR, and CRP levels are useful in predicting internal organ involvement in the acute phase of Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Leukocyte count is an important risk factor for internal organ involvement and its predictive value is more reliable than the other hematologic indices.

The relationship of platelet to lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil to monocyte ratio to radiographic grades of knee osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE

Accumulating data show that platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil to monocyte ratio (NMR) undergo changes during inflammation in various diseases; however, the clinical features remain unclear in knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. The purpose of our study was to evaluate PLR and NMR in knee OA patients, and assess their relationship to knee OA's radiographic grades.

METHODS

A retrospective study on 132 adult knee OA patients and 162 healthy controls (HC) was performed. All clinical characteristics of the knee OA patients were obtained from their medical records. PLR and NMR were compared between knee OA patients and HC by non-parametric tests. Correlations of PLR and NMR with Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) classification (KL grade 2, KL grade 3, and KL grade 4) were also analyzed through a Spearman correlation test. Ordinal polytomous logistic regression was used to determine independent factors influencing radiographic grades of knee OA patients.

RESULTS

PLR was increased significantly in knee OA patients, while a statistical difference in NMR was not observed. However, PLR was not relevant to KL grades, while NMR was negatively correlated with these (r = -0.330, P < 0.01) and was independently associated with KL grades of knee OA.

CONCLUSION

PLR could reflect the inflammation response of knee OA. NMR emerged as an independent factor and could be used as a potential marker indicating the severity of knee OA.

Serum neopterin and ischemia modified albumin levels are associated with the disease activity of adult immunoglobulin A vasculitis (Henoch-Schönlein purpura)

AIM

The aims of the study are to investigate serum neopterin and ischemia modified albumin (IMA) levels in patients with immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV) and evaluate the association of these markers with disease activity and relapse.

METHOD

Thirty-four consecutive adult patients (24 male and 10 female) admitted to the rheumatology clinic and met the IgAV American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Demographic and clinical features of IgAV and a control group were recorded into a predefined protocol. Disease activity was categorized as "remission" or "active" according to Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS). BVAS ≥ 1 was accepted as "active". Serum neopterin levels, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and IMA were evaluated according to BVAS and compared to the healthy control group.

RESULTS

Serum median (interquartile range) neopterin, IMA levels and hsCRP were higher in the study group than in control group (2.01 [12.5] ng/mL vs 1.77 [1.37] ng/mL, 0.67 [0.2] ng/mL vs. 0.43 [0.17] ng/mL, 5.6 [17.1] mg/L vs. 1.55 [1.6] mg/L, P = .095, P < .001 and P = .002, respectively). When evaluated according to BVAS, IMA and hsCRP levels were significantly higher in the group with active disease (0.77 [0.12] vs 0.61 [0.13] and 14.85 [4.6], P = .009 and P = .03, respectively). Serum neopterin levels were significantly higher in the active group compared to BVAS (18.95 [32.36] vs 1.63 [1.48], P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Oxidative stress is important in IgAV pathogenesis. Roles of hsCRP, neopterin and IMA as potential markers of diagnosis and disease activity seem to be worth studying in future studies with larger study groups.

Extracellular DNA traps in inflammation, injury and healing

Following strong activation signals, several types of immune cells reportedly release chromatin and granular proteins into the extracellular space, forming DNA traps. This process is especially prominent in neutrophils but also occurs in other innate immune cells such as macrophages, eosinophils, basophils and mast cells. Initial reports demonstrated that extracellular traps belong to the bactericidal and anti-fungal armamentarium of leukocytes, but subsequent studies also linked trap formation to a variety of human diseases. These pathological roles of extracellular DNA traps are now the focus of intensive biomedical research. The type of pathology associated with the release of extracellular DNA traps is mainly determined by the site of trap formation and the way in which these traps are further processed. Targeting the formation of aberrant extracellular DNA traps or promoting their efficient clearance are attractive goals for future therapeutic interventions, but the manifold actions of extracellular DNA traps complicate these approaches.

Do practical laboratory indices predict the outcomes of children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura?

Objectives: Henoch Schönlein Purpura (HSP) is the most common systemic vasculitis of childhood and often has a self-limiting course. We aimed to study whether practical laboratory parameters at the diagnosis predict disease course including recurrence and nephritis in addition to severe gastrointestinal involvement in children with HSP. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 214 HSP patients, 43.5% (n = 93) female and 56.5% (n =121) male, who were diagnosed in our department. Laboratory parameters before treatment, including neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, mean platelet volume (MPV), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios (PLR) were obtained retrospectively. Age at diagnosis, duration of follow-up, gender, preceding infections, medications, arthritis and arthralgia, abdominal pain, severe GI involvement, invagination, renal involvement and presence of nephritis, outcomes, and presence of recurrences were retrospectively recorded from medical files. Severe GI involvement was determined as severe colicky abdominal pain, bowel edema in ultrasonography or overt GI bleeding. A relapse was defined as a new flare of cutaneous lesions or other manifestations in a patient at least four asymptomatic weeks after the initial HSP episode. Results: Mean age at diagnosis was 7.6 ± 3.1 years. Biopsy-proven nephritis was found in 16 (7.5%) patients. Severe GI involvement was present in 77 (36%) patients, whereas only 12 (5.6%) patients were diagnosed with intussusception and in 29 (13.5%) patients, HSP recurred. Neutrophil count and NLR were found higher in HSP patients with severe gastrointestinal involvement and biopsy-proven nephritis. Additionally, only platelet count was lower and MPV was higher in patients with recurrent HSP. Conclusion: Elevated neutrophil count and NLR may be relevant markers for severe GI involvement and nephritis, whereas platelet count and MPV were the only laboratory parameters associated with disease recurrence.

Relationship between neutrophil-lymphocyte, platelet-lymphocyte ratio and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis treated with rituximab

BACKGROUND

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) may be used as indicators of inflammatory markers and disease activity due to inflammatory changes in neutrophils, platelets and lymphocytes. Our aim is to investigate the relationship between NLR, PLR ratio and disease activity in RA patients treated with rituximab.

METHODS

Thirty-eight patients (8 male, 30 female, mean age 56.8 ± 11.8 years) diagnosed with RA and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Disease Activity Score of 28 joints - erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), lymphocyte, neutrophil, platelet counts, ESR, C-reactive protein (CRP), PLR, and NLR were evaluated before and after rituximab in RA patients. The relationship between all parameters was assessed by Pearson's correlation, Wilcoxon signed-rank, Mann-Whitney U and paired t tests.

RESULTS

The levels of CRP, ESR, and DAS28-ESR decreased significantly at 6 months of rituximab treatment compared to pre-treatment. NLR and PLR ratios were higher in patients with RA than the control group. The median levels were 33.5 mm/hour, 5.7 mg/dL, and 3.7 respectively after 6 months of rituximab treatment. And, the levels were lower than baseline treatment. There was a significant correlation between the levels of DAS28-ESR and NLR, DAS28-ESR and PLR before and after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The NLR and PLR were higher than healthy controls and correlated with DAS28-ESR in patients with RA. These parameters which are indicative of disease activity decrease with rituximab and correlate with disease activity at 6 months. The NLR and PLR may be useful indices to evaluate RA disease activity treated with rituximab.

Risk factors of long hospital stay for immunoglobulin A vasculitis: Single-center study

BACKGROUND

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis is a common, systemic childhood disease that occasionally interferes with oral intake of food and necessitates hospitalization. In Japan, there are no reports on the length of hospitalization or factors related to long-term hospitalization in children with IgA vasculitis. In this study, we investigated the factors related to long-term hospitalization.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of children aged ≤15 years with IgA vasculitis who were admitted to the National Center for Child Health and Development (Tokyo, Japan) between March 2008 and April 2017. We reviewed their gender, age, previous episodes, digestive symptoms, fever, laboratory data, urine analysis, ultrasound, and use of glucocorticoid on admission day. We compared the long-stay (≥10 days) group (L) and the short-stay (≤9 days) group (S) on logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 68 children included in the analysis, 34 were male, and the average age was 71.9 ± 26.4 months. The median period of hospitalization was 10.5 days (range, 0.5-75 days), and 36 children were allocated to group L. In the logistic regression model including age, gender, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, and use of glucocorticoid, male sex (OR: 4.2; 95%CI: 1.3-13.5) and GI bleeding (OR: 7.6; 95%CI: 1.4-41.5) were significantly associated with hospitalization ≥10 days.

CONCLUSIONS

In children with IgA vasculitis, male patients and those with GI bleeding were more likely to have a hospital stay ≥10 days.

Full blood count as an ancillary test to support the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis

BACKGROUND

Temporal artery biopsy is considered the investigation of choice to diagnose definitively giant cell arteritis (GCA) in patients with compatible symptoms. However it is invasive and not completely sensitive. Serum markers, particularly erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), can be supportive, but are not definitive in individual cases.

AIMS

To investigate whether indices derived from the full blood count, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were associated with a positive biopsy in patients with suspected GCA.

METHODS

The clinical and pathological details of 537 patients undergoing temporal artery biopsy at our institution from 1992 to 2015 were reviewed.

RESULTS

In univariate analysis high platelets (odds ratio (OR) 4.44, P < 0.001), NLR (OR 1.81, P = 0.02), PLR (OR 3.25, P < 0.001), C-reactive protein (CRP) (OR 3.00, P < 0.001), ESR (OR 3.62, P < 0.001) and increased age (OR 1.03, P = 0.006) were strongly associated with a positive biopsy. In multivariate modelling only high platelets (P < 0.001) and ESR (P = 0.049) maintained significance.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that the presence of thrombocytosis and high NLR, PLR, ESR and CRP can all be used clinically to support the diagnosis of GCA prior to biopsy. Of particular note, in multivariate modelling the presence of thrombocytosis is a stronger predictor of a positive temporal artery biopsy than ESR. Therefore, careful consideration of the findings in a full blood count can be used to predict the likelihood of a positive temporal artery biopsy in patients with suspected GCA.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio to predict gastrointestinal bleeding in Henoch: Schönlein purpura

BACKGROUND

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a common form of vasculitis in children. It typically involves small vessels of the skin, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, joints, and kidneys. GI involvement is the most severe short-term complication and GI bleeding is a major complication of HSP, but there is no established predictive marker of GI bleeding. Blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed as a potentially useful marker of clinical outcome in diseases with an inflammatory component. The aim of this study was to clarify the association of NLR with HSP and investigate the usefulness of NLR as a marker to predict GI bleeding in children with HSP.

METHODS

All patients with newly diagnosed HSP were reviewed retrospectively. White blood cell count, hemoglobin, platelet counts, mean platelet volume, neutrophil and lymphocyte count were evaluated. NLR and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were calculated using complete blood count data.

RESULTS

This study involved 141 HSP patients. GI involvement was found in 65 patients (46.1%), and, of these, 15 (10.6%) had GI bleeding. At the time of diagnosis, NLR was significantly higher (P = 0.001) and PLR significantly lower (P = 0.032) in patients with GI bleeding than in those without GI bleeding. On logistic regression analysis, NLR was the only independent predictor of GI bleeding (P = 0.004). The optimal cut-off of NLR for predicting GI bleeding was 2.86 (sensitivity, 73%; specificity, 68%).

CONCLUSIONS

NLR, a simple and easily obtainable parameter, is a potential predictive marker of GI bleeding in children with HSP.

Platelet to lymphocyte ratio is associated with the current activity of ANCA-associated vasculitis at diagnosis: a retrospective monocentric study

Platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been introduced as a useful index to estimate the current inflammatory burdens in various diseases. In this study, we investigate whether PLR is associated with the severity of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 163 patients with AAV, collected clinical, laboratory and radiological data and calculated Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS). We defined the lower limit of the highest tertile of BVAS as the cut-off for severe AAV (BVAS ≥ 16). The optimal cut-off of PLR for severe AAV was set as 272.0. The odds ratio (OR) of PLR for severe AAV was assessed using the univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. The median age at diagnosis was 58.0 years and 51 patients (31.3%) were men. Patients with severe AAV exhibited higher rate of ANCA positivity and higher blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) than those without. Patients with severe AAV exhibited significantly increased median PLR compared to those without (299.3 vs. 184.0). In the univariable binary logistic regression analysis, BUN ≥ 17.45 mg/dL (OR 3.730), Cr ≥ 1.12 mg/dL (OR 3.519), ESR ≥ 83.5 mm/h (OR 2.785), CRP ≥ 20.0 mg/L (OR 2.612), PLR ≥ 272.0 (OR 4.231) and ANCA positivity (OR 2.306) were associated with severe AAV. In the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, only PLR ≥ 272.0 was an independent predictor of severe AAV at diagnosis (OR 2.734, 95% CI 1.247, 5.993). In conclusion, PLR at diagnosis is associated with the current activity of vasculitis in AAV patients.

Insight into inflammatory cell and cytokine profiles in adult IgA vasculitis

Immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV) is an immune complex, small vessel vasculitis with dominant IgA deposits in vessel walls, predominantly affecting the pediatric population. However, adults frequently have more severe gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and renal involvements as compared to children. Our aim was to study serological and cellular biomarkers to support clinicians in their diagnosis and the course of IgAV in adult patients. This cross-sectional study included 62 adult IgAV patients and 53 healthy blood donors (HBDs). Demographic and clinical data, as well as routine laboratory tests, were meticulously analyzed. Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-17A, IL-23, TNF-α and serum amyloid A (SAA) were measured. Percentages of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes with neutrophil expression of L-selectin and integrin αM were determined by flow cytometry. SAA (12-fold), IL-6 (3-fold), IL-8 (2-fold), and TNF-α (2-fold) were significantly elevated in sera of adult IgAV patients compared to HBDs. There was a 16% elevation in neutrophils in IgAV patients, with IgAV neutrophils showing significantly higher CD62L surface expression. IgAV patients with GIT involvement exhibited elevated numbers of leukocytes, neutrophils, and neutrophil/lymphocyte (NLR), but lower neutrophil CD11b expression, as compared to IgAV patients without GIT. IgAV patients exhibit a low-medium grade inflammatory, neutrophil-driven response. Patients with GIT can be distinguished by their elevated NLR.

Pediatric post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis: Clinical and laboratory data

BACKGROUND

Acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN) is the most common post-infectious glomerulonephritis in childhood. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the possible risk factor(s) responsible for decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in APSGN.

METHODS

The data of patients followed up with a diagnosis of APSGN in the Pediatric Nephrology Clinic of Gaziantep University Hospital between October 2014 and October 2016 were retrospectively evaluated.

RESULTS

The total number of subjects was 75 (male/female, 42/33) with a mean age of 8.20 ± 3.25 years. The most common presentations were edema (86.7%), macroscopic hematuria (82.7%) and hypertension (73.3%, n = 55). On laboratory examination, 28 children (37.3%) had hypoalbuminemia, 58 (77.3%) had proteinuria, 20 (26.7%) had increased C-reactive protein (CRP), while 74 (98.7%) and 12 (16%) had decreased complement (C)3 and C4, respectively. The number of children with GFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m² was 22 (29.3%). The risk of decreased GFR was significantly higher in patients with increased CRP (P = 0.001; OR, 3.58), hypoalbuminemia (P = 0.006; OR, 4.83), and decreased C4 (P = 0.010; OR, 11.53). Additionally, white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil count, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were significantly higher (P = 0.02, P = 0.006, P = 0.004, respectively) in patients with low GFR.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the prognosis of APSGN in children is good, severe systemic complications and renal failure may develop during the follow-up period. Decreased C4, presence of hypoalbuminemia, and increased inflammatory markers (WBC, CRP, neutrophil count and NLR) might be possible risk factors for severity of renal involvement. Decreased C4, in particular, may be a risk factor for decreased GFR in those children.

Vasculitis update: pathogenesis and biomarkers

Better understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of primary systemic vasculitides (PSV) has led to the development of many potentially clinically relevant biomarkers. Genome-wide association studies have highlighted that MHC class II polymorphisms may influence the development of particular anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) serotypes, but not the clinical phenotype of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Although ANCAs are overall poor biomarkers of disease activity, they may be useful for the prediction of flares of renal and/or pulmonary vasculitis. Moreover, patients with proteinase 3 (PR3)-AAV may respond better to rituximab than cyclophosphamide. Newer biomarkers of renal vasculitis in AAV include urinary soluble CD163, and may in the future reduce the requirement for renal biopsy. Better understanding of dysregulated neutrophil activation in AAV has led to the identification of novel biomarkers including circulating microparticles, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), although their clinical utility has not yet been realised. Studies examining endothelial injury and repair responses have additionally revealed indices that may have utility as disease activity and/or prognostic biomarkers. Last, next-generation sequencing technologies are revealing monogenic forms of vasculitis, such as deficiency of adenosine deaminase type 2 (DADA2), and are profoundly influencing the approach to the diagnosis and treatment of vasculitis in the young.

Characterization of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a measure of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES

The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is one of the well-recognized sensitive measures of inflammation. This cross-sectional observational study was aimed at characterizing the relationship of NLR with the inflammatory markers erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reative protein (CRP), Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS28)-CRP(3), joint counts and quality measures of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with RA were recruited in two phases. The following were assessed for all patients: joint count, pain by visual analogue scale (VAS), complete blood count, ESR, CRP and quality index assessment using the Short Form health survey (SF-36) questionnaire. A subgroup analysis was also performed to evaluate the association between NLR and cytokines.

RESULTS

Four hundred and eighty-nine subjects were recruited. Distribution of NLR values corresponded with DAS28-CRP(3) rather than CRP and ESR. A significant difference in VAS, swollen joint counts (SJC-28), inflammatory parameters and general health outcome measures was observed among the NLR groups. A weak correlation was observed between NLR and RA disease measures. It had least bias at lower ranges with DAS28-CRP(3) than CRP and ESR. The NLR cut-off value of 1.4 classified the patients in deep remission with 90% specificity, 24% sensitivity, likelihood ratio positive (LR+) 2.46 and likelihood ratio negative (LR-) 0.84. CRP was a significant baseline predictor of NLR. A significant influence of interleukin-6 on CRP was noted.

CONCLUSION

In contrast to the traditional markers, NLR may serve as a less expensive and effective measure of inflammation in RA. Its efficacy is comparable to that of CRP and it is not impacted by the cytokines influencing CRP and ESR.

Altered mean platelet volume in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura and its association with disease activity

Background

Henoch-Schonlein purpura is a systemic small-vessel vasculitis that occurs mainly in children. A review of the literature has suggested a correlation between mean platelet volume and several inflammatory disorders. However, to the best of our knowledge, any potential correlation between mean platelet volume and Henoch-Schonlein purpura has not been reported in the literature. Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the role of mean platelet volume concentrations in patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura.

Methods

This study included 97 children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura and 120 healthy individuals as controls.

Results

Mean platelet volume concentrations were found to be significantly lower in Henoch-Schonlein purpura patients compared with healthy controls (8.1 ± 0.86 vs. 9.4 ± 0.81, P < 0.001). Similarly, significant negative correlations were observed between mean platelet volume and neutrophil count, platelet count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (r=−0.327, P = 0.001; r=−0.419, P < 0.001; r=−0.255, P = 0.012). Interestingly, mean platelet volume was significantly lower in the acute phase compared with the convalescent phase of Henoch-Schonlein purpura patients (7.8 ± 0.86 vs. 8.3 ± 0.77, P = 0.002). A cut-off value for mean platelet volume was 7.85 with area under the curve of 0.726 to identify acute phase vs. convalescent phase in patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura. Mean platelet volume was independently associated with Henoch-Schonlein purpura in logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 0.114, 95% confidence interval = 0.053–0.243, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our results suggest that mean platelet volume is inversely associated with disease in patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura, and mean platelet volume may be a useful marker to identify active disease in Henoch-Schonlein purpura patients.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio: a biomarker for predicting systemic involvement in adult IgA vasculitis patients

BACKGROUND

IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is a small-vessel leucocytoclastic cutaneous vasculitis, often associated with kidney and gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations. Although predictive factors for systemic involvement have been extensively studied in children, there is paucity in the literature regarding adult patients. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an inflammatory marker, used to assess systemic inflammation in various diseases.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to evaluate whether NLR can be used for predicting renal and GI involvement in adult IgA vasculitis patients.

METHODS

This was a retrospective review of adult patients who were diagnosed with IgAV at our institution between 2004 and 2016.

RESULTS

A total of 40 patients met our inclusion criteria. Half of the enrolled patients had clinical symptoms suggestive of systemic involvement, of which 6 (15%) had only renal, 3 (7.5%) had only GI and 11 (27.5%) had both renal and GI involvement. Pretreatment NLR was significantly associated with renal and/or GI manifestations of the disease (P < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value of NLR, for predicting systemic involvement was 3.34, with a specificity of 95% and a sensitivity of 85%. In addition, pretreatment NLR was also found to be significantly correlated with the severity of the systemic manifestations of IgAV (P = 0.022).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that NLR is a potential indicator for prognosticating systemic involvement in adult IgAV.

Assessment of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume in pediatric familial Mediterranean fever patients

Background:

Blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) both have been used as a simple marker of inflammation in many disorders. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationship between NLR, MPV, and familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).

Materials and Methods:

In this retrospective study, the files of FMF patients in pediatric rheumatology outpatient clinic were reviewed. There were 160 participants (68.4%) in the FMF patient group and 74 participants (31.6%) in the control group. Ninety of patients were in attack-free period, and 70 were in attack period.

Results:

The highest values of NLR were found in the patients at attack period. Patients in attack-free period and the participants in control group had similar levels of NLR (1.71 ± 0.83 and 1.91 ± 1.86 respectively) (P = 0.457), and they had lower ratios than the patients did at attack period (4.10 ± 3.11) (P < 0.001 for both). There was no significant difference between MPV values of attack patients (8.35 ± 4.91) and attack-free patients (8.43 ± 1.15) (P = 0.074). MPV values of attack patients and attack-free patients were significantly higher than control group (7.99 ± 0.81) (P < 0.001 for both).

Conclusion:

NLR ratio may indicate FMF attack period. Since there was no significant difference between attack-free patients and control groups, NLR ratio cannot be used as a subclinical inflammation marker. However, NLR could be a useful predictor of inflammation in FMF patients. On the other hand, since our attack and attack-free patients have similar MPV values and both had greater MPV values than control group, we suggest that MPV may be used to show subclinical inflammation.

Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Mean Platelet Volume as Inflammatory Indicators in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Nephritis

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to evaluate the role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) as activation and inflammatory markers in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with nephritis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 108 SLE patients (8 males, 100 females; mean age 35.3±10.2 years; range 16 to 64 years) including 78 patients with renal involvement (8 males, 70 females; mean age 33.9±10.6 years; range 16 to 64 years) (SLEn+ group) and 30 patients without renal involvement (30 females; mean age 39.1±8.2 years; range 22 to 55 years) (SLEn- group) were included in this retrospective study. All patients' clinical characteristics and laboratory data which include erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, white blood counts, neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts, platelet counts, and MPV levels were obtained from medical records. The laboratory data at the highest proteinuria periods of the patients with renal involvement were recorded.

RESULTS

Mean MPV (SLEn+ =9.1±2.2, SLEn- =7.9±1.2, p=0.001) and NLR (SLEn+ =5.9±5.9, SLEn- =2.6±2.5, p<0.001) values were significantly higher in lupus nephritis group. Besides, a positive correlation between NLR and C-reactive protein was found in lupus nephritis group (r=1.97, p=0.045). Based on receiver operating characteristic curve with area under the curve of 0.76, cutoff NLR value of 1.93 had 83% sensitivity and 54% specificity [95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.85] in differentiating SLE patients with or without nephritis.

CONCLUSION

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and MPV may be discriminative for lupus nephritis. Also, NLR may be a predictor of lupus nephritis. Both MPV and NLR values may be affected by a great number of factors; therefore, further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the use of these parameters in SLE.

Predictive value of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in renal prognosis of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis

Introduction: Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare necrotizing vasculitis, which usually involves the upper and lower respiratory systems and kidneys and often have a relapsing course. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been shown to be a useful marker predicting not only progressive disease, but also mortality in various inflammatory diseases. We aimed to investigate the roles of NLR in predicting the extend of clinical involvement and prognosis of patients with GPA.

Materials and methods: Consecutive newly diagnosed GPA patients who had follow-up for at least 6 months between 2010 and 2016 at Gazi University Internal Medicine-Rheumatology clinic were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Fifty-three newly diagnosed GPA patients were studied. NLR was significantly higher in the GPA group compared with the control group (4.50 [min–max: 0.07–34.81] vs 1.77 [min–max: 1.04–2.90], respectively, p < .001). NLR significantly correlated with ESR and CRP levels (r = .40 and r = .48, respectively, p < .001 for both).

Discussion: GPA is a vasculitis with a significant morbidity and mortality (REF). Renal involvement usually presents with crescentric glomerulonephritis, resulting in significant and permanent loss of renal functions and end-stage kidney disease. Higher NLR at baseline is associated with worse renal outcome. Our findings suggest that baseline NLR could have a predictive value for renal prognosis. We have also demonstrated a significant correlation between NLR and BVAS activity scores. Our data suggest that GPA patients with a significantly high NLR at baseline might need closer follow-up for persistent disease activity.

The Relationship of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio with Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

Objectives

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) is the most widespread systemic vasculitis during childhood. Gastrointestinal tract retention and gastrointestinal bleeding are among its major complications. Neutrophil-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are indicators related to inflammatory diseases. This study evaluated the relationship between NLR or PLR and gastrointestinal bleeding in HSP.

Methods

The study consisted of 119 patients and 40 healthy children in the same age group. White Blood Cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin level, platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), neutrophil count and lymphocyte count were recorded. The NLR and PLR were calculated based on the results of complete blood count tests performed during the first visit to the hospital.

Results

The average neutrophil count and NLR of the patients with HSP were found to be significantly increased compared to the control group (P = 0.0001). No significant difference was observed between the PLR average of HSP and control groups (P = 0.053). Platelet count average (P = 0.0001) and PLR (P = 0.001) of the patients with gastrointestinal system (GIS) bleeding were found to be statistically significantly increased compared to those who did not have gastrointestinal bleeding. No significant difference was found in the NLR of the patients with and without gastrointestinal bleeding (P = 0.060).

Conclusions

While the NLR was significantly increased in patients with HSP in this study, the PLR was found to be more significant in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Similar to NLR, PLR may also be used as an inflammatory indicator among children with HSP, who have gastrointestinal bleeding.