Diagnostic value of hematological inflammatory markers in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Introduction Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a liver disorder associated with elevated bile acid levels, systemic inflammation, and increased maternal and fetal risks. Identifying accessible and cost-effective inflammatory biomarkers may improve clinical assessment of patients with ICP. Materials and methods The case-control study included 142 pregnant women: 71 diagnosed with ICP and 71 healthy controls. Hematological inflammatory markers were evaluated, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV), red cell distribution width (RDW), and emerging ratios such as platelet-to-monocyte ratio (PMR) and C-reactive protein-to-lymphocyte ratio (CLR). Diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results NLR and PLR were significantly higher in the ICP group than in the control group (p<0.0001). ROC analysis demonstrated moderate discriminatory ability for NLR (AUC=0.707) and PLR (AUC=0.709). Other markers showed limited diagnostic value. Conclusions NLR and PLR provide additional information regarding systemic inflammation in patients with ICP and may serve as complementary tools in clinical evaluation. Further studies are required to confirm their prognostic and diagnostic relevance.