The diagnostic significance of systemic inflammation indices in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by substantial clinical and immunological heterogeneity, which complicates the assessment of disease activity and monitoring of systemic inflammation. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to systemic inflammation indices derived from complete blood count parameters. However their diagnostic value in SLE remains insufficiently established. Objective. To evaluate the diagnostic significance of systemic inflammation indices in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Materials and Methods. This retrospective study included 84 patients with SLE and 155 age- and sex-matched healthy donors. Disease activity was assessed using the SLEDAI-2K score. The following indices (NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI and AISI) were calculated from complete blood count parameters. Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric methods and correlations were assessed by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Results. Compared with healthy donors, patients with SLE demonstrated significantly higher PLR (p=0,0023) and MLR (p<0,0001) values. No significant differences were observed for NLR, SII, SIRI, or AISI (p>0,05). Patients with active disease showed significantly higher AISI (p=0,0477) and SIRI (p=0,0148) values than those in remission. NLR and PLR demonstrated weak positive correlations with C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r<0,3), whereas no significant correlations were found for MLR, SII, SIRI or AISI. Conclusion. Systemic inflammation indices may be considered as additional markers of the presence and activity of systemic lupus erythematosus. However, their use is appropriate only as part of a comprehensive patient assessment, taking into account clinical findings, conventional laboratory parameters, and ongoing therapy.