Correlations of peripheral blood neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio with renal function and prognosis in patients with lupus nephritis

Objective: To explore the correlations of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) with renal function and prognosis in patients with lupus nephritis (LN). Methods: A total of 115 patients with LN (research group) admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University during January 2018 and January 2021 and 60 healthy controls (control group) who concurrently underwent physical examination were included in this study. Peripheral blood NLR and LMR were recorded in both arms. According to the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at admission, patients with LN were assigned to a normal renal function group and a renal insufficiency group to compare their NLR and LMR values. Further, the cases were divided into good and poor prognosis groups based on the follow-up results, and the NLR and LMR were observed. Pearson test was used to analyze the relationship between NLR, LMR, and eGFR. Independent risk factors for poor prognosis of renal function were analyzed by multivariate logistic analysis. Results: The cases showed higher NLR and lower LMR than the controls (P<0.001). The NLR was lower in patients with normal renal function than in those with renal insufficiency (P<0.001). Patients with poor prognosis presented with significantly higher NLR and lower LMR than those with good prognosis (P<0.001). In cases, eGFR decreased with the increase of NLR, presenting an inverse association (r=-0.572, P<0.001). eGFR increased as the LMR increased, showing a positive correlation (r=0.582, P<0.001). Multivariate logistic analysis identified that infection, hypoproteinemia, moderate or above lupus disease activity, high NLR, and low LMR were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in LN. Conclusions: Peripheral blood NLR and LMR are plausible biologic indicators to predict renal function and prognosis in patients with LN.