Predictive Value of Maternal Systemic Inflammatory Markers in Treatment-Requiring Retinopathy of Prematurity

The aim of the study was to investigate the predictive value of maternal systemic inflammatory markers such as neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), platelet mass index (PMI) and mean platelet volume (mPV) in treatment-requiring retinopathy of prematurity (TR-ROP). In this retrospective study, 19 mothers whose preterm infants required treatment (intravitreal injection) for ROP were included in the TR-ROP group. Twenty-one mothers whose preterm infants did not require treatment for ROP were included in the control group. Birth weights (BWs) and gestational age (GA) were recorded. Maternal complete blood count samples obtained within 3 days before delivery were analyzed. Maternal NLR, PLR, LMR, SII, PMI and mPV data were calculated and statistically compared. All data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences, version 22.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of BW (p=0.108). The GA was significantly lower in the TR-ROP group compared to the control group [28 (24-33), 30 (27-32), p=0.04, respectively]. NLR, PLR, LMR and SII values were 5.9/4.2 (p=0.02), 143.8±26.3/123.1±36.2 (p=0.02), 2.06/3.01 (p=0.001), 1279/1040 (p=0.05) between the TR-ROP and control groups, respectively. In the TR-ROP group, when these values were corrected according to the GA in logistic regression analysis, the NLR, PLR, and SII were not statistically significant (p=0.11, p=0.83 and p=0.13), but there was an increase in the LMR [p=0.02, odds ratio=0.38 95% confidence interval (0.16-0.88)]. The relationship of maternal SII, PMI and mPV parameters with TR-ROP was shown for the first time in this study. Maternal LMR in the prenatal period may be helpful in predicting TR-ROP. Additional studies are needed before these conclusions can be applied to daily clinical practice.