Correlation between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and clinical manifestations and complications of retinitis pigmentosa

Purpose The role of inflammation in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) has been receiving additional attention. However, the association between inflammation and the clinical manifestations and complications of RP is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) of RP complicated with cataract and explore the correlations between the NLR and specific clinical features of RP. Methods This retrospective study included 79 RP patients complicated with cataract (125 eyes) and 63 age- and sex-matched patients (63 eyes) with age-related cataract (ARC). Patients' ocular examination results were collected and complete blood count results were used to calculate NLRs. The correlations between the NLR of RP patients and the parameters of ocular examinations were analysed. Results The NLRs of RP patients with cataracts were significantly higher than those of ARC (1.93 +/- 0.83 versus 1.65 +/- 0.59, p = 0.029). The NLRs increased with the severity of posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC), zonular deficiency, poor preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (LogMAR>1), and visual field defects. Analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves suggested that NLR > 1.36 could predict higher degrees (PSC area >3%, >P1) of PSC (p = 0.002, 95% CI, 0.672-0.934), and that NLR > 2.12 could predict zonular weakness (p = 0.002, 95% CI, 0.665-0.928) in RP. Conclusion The NLRs in RP patients with cataract are not only higher but also associated with several clinical manifestations of RP. The NLR can be a predictive biomarker of higher degrees of PSC (>P1) and zonular weakness in RP before cataract surgery. These results suggest that systemic inflammation may play a role in the pathogenesis of RP.

Automated summary

This study found that RP patients with cataracts have higher NLRs compared to age-related cataract patients, and that the NLR is associated with specific clinical features of RP. These results suggest that systemic inflammation may play a role in the pathogenesis of RP.