Vu Uyen Nhi LE
Turkish Journal of Dermatology - 2026;20(2):50-57
Aim: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease with systemic involvement. Severity is usually assessed using the scoring AD (SCORAD) index, but this method is partly subjective. Blood-derived markers such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and mean platelet volume (MPV) may provide objective indicators. This study evaluated their diagnostic value in assessing disease severity in adults with AD. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 adults with AD at Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermato-Venereology Hospital from March to September 2024. Demographics, clinical features, and SCORAD scores were recorded. Laboratory analyses included NLR, PLR, hsCRP, and MPV. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis determined the ability of these markers to identify severe AD (SCORAD >= 51). Results: A total of 112 patients were included (62.5% female; mean age 48 years); 20% had severe AD (median SCORAD 30.7). Higher SCORAD was associated with increased neutrophils, NLR, PLR, and hsCRP, and with decreased lymphocytes (all P < 0.05). NLR best predicted severe AD, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.805 (cut-off 2.59; sensitivity 77.3%; specificity 80.0%), followed by PLR (AUROC: 0.754) and hsCRP (AUROC: 0.734), whereas MPV showed no predictive value (AUROC: 0.530; P = 0.663). Conclusion: NLR, PLR, and hsCRP are simple, low-cost, and reliable biomarkers that correlate with AD severity, with NLR showing the highest diagnostic accuracy. Incorporating these indices may improve objective assessment and serve as an adjunctive tool in clinical practice.
