Purpose: Inflammation and immunity play a pivotal but yet unclear role in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic disorder characterized by progressive damage of lung parenchyma and severe loss of lung function despite optimal treatment. However, the pathophysiological and predictive role of combined blood cell count indexes of inflammation in IPF is uncertain.
Methods: Seventy-three patients with IPF and 62 healthy subjects matched for age, gender and smoking status were included in this cross-sectional study.
Results: We found significant differences in neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (dNLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) between IPF patients and healthy controls. In logistic regression, all combined blood inflammation indexes, barring PLR, were independently associated with the presence of IPF after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index and smoking status. Furthermore, significant associations between FVC% and NLR, LMR, SIRI and AISI, and between DLCO% and NLR, dNLR, LMR, SIRI and AISI, were observed.
Conclusions: In conclusion, our data indicate significant alterations of combined blood cell count indexes of inflammation in IPF.
Keywords: IPF; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Inflammation; LMR; NLR; PLR.