Neutrophil- and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios are correlated with disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis

Both neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are reported to be increased in various inflammation-related diseases, but their clinical significance in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to explore whether NLR and PLR were candidate indices for RA disease-activity assessment.

The medical records of 128 RA patients and 78 healthy individuals were retrospectively reviewed. Correlations of NLR and PLR with the disease activity of RA were evaluated.

NLR and PLR were increased significantly in RA patients. NLR was significantly positively correlated with C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and Disease-Activity Score including 28 joints (DAS28) in RA patients, while PLR was positively correlated with CRP and DAS28, but not with ESR.

Both NLR and PLR values may prove to be potential indices for RA disease-activity assessment.