The Relationship of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio with Pemphigus Vulgaris

Aim: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering skin disease. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and PV. Methods: A total of 49 newly diagnosed patients with PV and 48 healthy controls were included in the study. The patients were grouped into mild, moderate and severe types according to the dose of administered corticosteroids. All data was obtained using inpatient records. Disease severity, findings on physical examination, complete blood count (CBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) parameters were noted. Lymphocyte and neutrophil numbers were noted from CBC findings. The NLR was compared between the patients and controls and among the patient groups. Analysis of data was done using SPSS 15.0. Results: Neutrophil count, NLR, ESR and CRP levels of the patients with PV were higher than the controls (p<0.001, p=0.002, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). NLR, CRP and ESR were not correlated with disease activity. Conclusion: NLR has been shown to be a useful indicator of disease severity and prognosis in many diseases. This study demonstrates that it is a parameter distinguishing patients with PV from healthy controls.