Investigation of Peripheral Inflammatory Biomarkers in Trichotillomania

Immunological factors may play a role in the etiology of trichotillomania (TTM). Peripheral inflammatory markers such as Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Monocyte-Lymphocyte Ratio (MLR), monocyte to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (MHR), Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) have not yet been investigated in TTM. This study aimed to compare TTM with healthy control (HC) in terms of various inflammatory markers such as NLR, PLR, MLR, MHR, SII.

The electronic records were examined of patients who were diagnosed with TTM who attended to the outpatient psychiatry clinic between January 2022 and December 2023. 46 TTM and 44 HC were included in the study. Blood samples for 90 participants were examined from electronic records, and NLR, PLR, MLR, and SII values were calculated. Participants with TTM were scored according to disease severity using the Clinical Global Impression–Severity (CGI-S) scale.

NLR, PLR, MLR, MHR, and SII were significantly higher in TTM. No significant correlation was found between CGI-S scores and NLR, PLR, MLR, MHR, and SII values in TTM. According to binary logistic regression analysis, a significant relationship was found between NLR and TTM.

TTM group have elevated peripheral inflammatory markers compared with HC group. Findings of the study support the potential inflammatory process in TTM.