To evaluate the diagnostic value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), CD40, and other clinical indicators in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A retrospective study was conducted with 158 SLE patients treated at Xijing Hospital. The SLE group was divided into an active group (n = 95) and a low-activity group (n = 63). A control group consisting of 105 healthy individuals was also included. NLR, CD40, and other relevant clinical indicators were collected from the medical record system. The diagnostic or differential value of these indicators for SLE or disease activity (high vs. low) was assessed using ROC curves. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine the correlations between NLR, CD40, C-reactive protein (CRP), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score. NLR and CD40 levels were significantly elevated in the SLE group (P < 0.001), with respective AUC values for diagnosing SLE of 0.917 and 0.907. NLR and CD40 levels in the SLE group were positively correlated with CRP and RDW, and negatively correlated with MLR (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, NLR and CD40 levels in the active SLE group were significantly higher than those in the low-activity group (P < 0.001), with AUC values for diagnosing disease activity of 0.902 and 0.904, respectively. SLEDAI scores were positively correlated with NLR and CD40 levels (P < 0.001). Both NLR and CD40 demonstrate high diagnostic value for SLE and disease activity assessment, suggesting their potential for clinical application in SLE diagnosis and management.
Wang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.