Liuyi Huang,* Xi Li,* Wei Zhou, Haiqing Zhu, Yuehong Lao, Xiaoxia Huang, Zhenjia Deng, Yuting Tang, Jian Wang

Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Medicine of Guangxi Department of Education, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Jian Wang, Department of Clinical Laboratory, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Medicine of Guangxi Department of Education, No. 6 Shuangyong Road, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People’s Republic of China, Email wangjian0771@163.com

Objective: There are no studies examining the role of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), the systemic inflammatory index (SII), and the systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) in anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS). We aim to compare NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI in ASS and dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM), as well as to examine potential correlations between NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI and clinical features and laboratory parameters in ASS.
Methods: Retrospective collection of data from 111 patients with ASS and 175 patients with DM/PM. A Spearman rank correlation analysis was utilized to analyze the correlation between NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI and inflammatory indexes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the diagnostic value. Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess risk factors for interstitial lung disease (ILD).
Results: Compared with DM/PM, NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI were significantly greater in ASS patients (p < 0.05). NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI were correlated with albumin, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, white blood cell (WBC), platelets, and myositis disease activity assessment visual analog scales (MYOACT) score (p < 0.05). The ROC curves analysis showed that NLR, SII, and SIRI were all highly predictive of the occurrence of ASS. Comparisons based on clinical characteristics showed elevated levels of NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI in ASS patients with ILD, fever, and infection (p < 0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed that NLR, CAR, and SII were significant risk factors for ASS-ILD (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The levels of NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI were higher in ASS than in DM/PM and correlated with disease activity and specific clinical features. NLR, CAR, SII, and SIRI may be an aid in differentiating ASS from DM/PM and maybe promising biomarkers for ASS.

Keywords: the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio, the systemic immune inflammation index, the systemic inflammation response index, anti-synthase syndrome