Associations of blood cell indices with the risk of ankylosing spondylitis: A retrospective case-control and machine learning modeling study

The light gradient boosting machine model exhibited reliable diagnostic performance for ankylosing spondylitis, and interpretable machine learning approaches provided insights into the contributions of specific hematologic parameters. These findings suggest that blood cell indices, as inexpensive and widely available markers, may serve as a tool for clinical triage and prioritizing high-risk individuals for further diagnostic evaluation.