Assessment of Neutrophil - Lymphocyte Ratio in Psychiatric Disorders - A Retrospective Study using Medical Records

Background: As non-specific markers of immune dysregulation, neutrophil?lymphocyte (NLR) has been consistently shown to be increased in major neuropsychiatric disorders. There is a growing amount of evidence to suggest that inflammation may have a role in the onset and prognosis of psychiatric disorders. We reviewed the literature of studies investigating neutrophil?lymphocyte ratios (NLR), a biomarker of inflammation, in both adult and youth psychiatric populations. Aim: To assess Neutrophil- Lymphocyte ratio in major psychiatric disorders. Objective: To assess Neutrophil- Lymphocyte ratio in psychiatric disorders and compare with healthy controls. Methods: The Study was conducted using medical records of admitted patients with a main diagnosis of Sch, BD-M, BD-D, MDD or OCD according to DSM-5. Complete blood counts (CBCs) was obtained and NLR was calculated for each patient. A control group was established from healthy donors. Results: Mean Neutrophil - Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) in BP-M and Sch groups were statistically significantly more than all other groups, also the ratios in these two groups differ significantly from each other with BP-M group having significantly higher than Sch. Conclusion: The direct comparison of NLR between the disorders points out that the intensity of the underlying inflammation may be most prominent for BD-M, followed by Sch, MDD and BD-D. NLR may be an effective biomarker to identify these patients who may benefit from adjunctive anti-inflammatory pharmacological treatment.