Neutrophil Albumin Ratio, Platelet Albumin Ratio, and Certain Inflammatory Parameters in Acne Vulgaris

Introduction: Acne vulgaris is a prevalent, chronic inflammatory disease. Systemic inflammation may be evaluated with various biochemical and hematological markers. Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine an easy-to-identify and low-cost disease activity marker. We investigated the neutrophil/albumin ratio (NAR), platelet/albumin ratio (PAR), C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR), hemoglobin/albumin ratio (HAR), platelet/hemoglobin ratio (PHR), neutrophil/hemoglobin ratio (NHR), systemic immune response index (SIRI), and monocyte/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) ​​in patients with moderate or severe acne vulgaris and the correlations between these markers and the disease. Methods: The study was conducted on 50 moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris patients and 69 healthy controls. The patient and control groups were similar in age and sex. Patient and control group demographics and laboratory data were collected retrospectively from the patient files. Results: It was determined that albumin, HDL, and CRP levels, and CAR, NAR, PAR, MHR, SIRI, HAR, PHR, and NHR were similar in acne patients and the control group (P=0.672; P=0.265; P=0.318; P=0.303; P=0.991; P=0.096; P=0.972; P=0.325, P=0.337; P=0.051; P=0.057). Furthermore, specific hemogram parameters were compared between the patient and control groups, with no statistically significant difference determined (P>0.05). However, subgroup analysis by sex showed that female patients had higher HDL and HAR values, while male patients had higher albumin, PHR, NHR, and MHR levels (P<0.05). Conclusion: No statistically significant association was found between the evaluated systemic inflammation biomarkers and acne vulgaris. Nevertheless, sex-based differences in certain parameters among patients indicate possible sex-specific pathophysiological mechanisms. Prospective, large-scale studies are warranted to further investigate these findings and clarify their clinical implications.