Background Both neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR) are reported to be increased in various inflammatory diseases, but there clinical significance in systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unclear

Objectives The aim of the study is to evaluate usefulness of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in diagnosis of systemic sclerosis and in prediction of lung involvement such as pulmonary fibrosis.

Methods The medical records of 88 SSc patients and 50 healthy controls were retrospectively reviewed. NLR, PLR between SSc patients and healthy controls were compared, and correlation between these indexes and lung involvement were analyzed. Exclusion criteria included active infection and/or the presence of any hematological, cardiovascular or metabolic disorder.

Results The NLR and PLR were found to be significantly higher in SSc patients when compared to the healthy control (NLR: 3.95±6.59 vs 2.00±1.07, p<0.01, PLR: 163.87±101.12 vs 126.33 ±42.31, p<0.05). SSc patients with lung involvement had higher NLR and PLR levels than those without lung involvement (p<0.01, p<0.05). NLR was negatively correlated with forced vital capacity (FVC)(r=-0.341, p<0.01) but not diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). Receiver-operating characteristics analysis (ROC) of NLR to predict lung involvement in SSc showed that the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.763. The cut-off NLR value for prediction of lung involvement was determined as 2.59. (sensitivity, 0.700;specificity, 0.729; p<0.01)

Conclusions NLR may be a promising marker that reflects lung involvement in patients with SSc and values greater than 2.59 were useful in prediction of lung involvement.

Disclosure of Interest None declared