Alper Can Yılmaz, Hayati Yılmaz, Bağım Ayçin Çakır İnce, Önder Ayyıldız
Gulhane Medical Journal - 2025;67(4):252-258
Aims: This study aimed to evaluate whether routine hematological and biochemical indices reflect systemic inflammation in patients with pterygium and to compare these indices with healthy controls. Methods: This retrospective study included patients with clinically diagnosed pterygium and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Main inclusion criteria were documented ophthalmological examination and available complete blood count (CBC) and routine biochemistry results; patients with systemic diseases or conditions affecting laboratory parameters were excluded. The participants' CBC values, glucose, creatinine, and blood lipid profiles were reviewed. The primary endpoint was the comparison of systemic inflammatory markers-neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and monocyte-to-high-density-lipoprotein ratio (MHR)-between the two groups. Results: A total of 107 patients with pterygium (mean age 56.57+/-14.47 years; 63.6% male) and 104 controls (mean age 56.05+/-13.28 years; 69.3% male) were included. Only hematocrit and white blood cell (WBC) count were significantly higher in patients with pterygium (p=0.044 and p=0.009, respectively). There were no significant differences in NLR (p=0.108), PLR (p=0.462), MLR (p=0.190), or MHR (p=0.134) between the groups. The patient group exhibited significantly higher total cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels (p=0.004 and p=0.007, respectively). Conclusions: This study indicated that routine systemic inflammatory indices (NLR, PLR, MLR, MHR) did not differ significantly between patients with pterygium and healthy controls, whereas hematocrit, WBC, total cholesterol, and TG levels were higher in the pterygium group.
