The role of inflammatory indices for the prediction of preeclampsia in the first trimester: a case-control study from a tertiary center

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of systemic inflammation response index, systemic immune-inflammation index, platelet/hemoglobin ratio, and other defined low-grade inflammatory indices in predicting preeclampsia. METHODS: The presented retrospective case-control study was conducted on 304 patients diagnosed with preeclampsia and 240 low-risk pregnant women who gave birth between 2019 and 2021 in Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, a tertiary center. Patient information was obtained from the hospital database. Patients diagnosed with preeclampsia, along with possible predictive indices in the first trimester, were evaluated to predict the development of preeclampsia. The indices were neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, AST/platelet ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte/monocyte ratio, platelet/hemoglobin ratio, creatinine/platelet ratio, systemic immune-inflammation index (neutrophil×platelet/lymphocyte), and systemic inflammation response index (neutrophil×monocyte/lymphocyte). These indices were calculated from the first-trimester routine blood test results and compared between preeclampsia and control groups. The indices were also evaluated for the predictive value regarding the severity and onset time of the disease. RESULTS: In the first trimester, hemoglobin counts were lower in the preeclampsia group, whereas creatinine and monocyte counts were higher. The platelet/hemoglobin count ratio was significantly higher in the preeclampsia group, with a p-value of 0.025. According to receiver operating characteristic analyses, a platelet/hemoglobin count ratio of 21.41 was identified as the optimal cut-off value for the disease prediction. CONCLUSION: Systemic inflammation response index and platelet/hemoglobin ratio were evaluated along with the other indices to predict preeclampsia. The platelet/hemoglobin ratio was found to be higher in the preeclampsia group in the first trimester, making it a promising index for preeclampsia prediction.