ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders: Autoinflammatory Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1585451
Neutrophil-Lymphocyte and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratios as Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers for Atopic Dermatitis in US Adults: A Cross-Sectional NHANES Study Revealing
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- 2Department of Dermatology, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 3Shanxi Aier Eye Hospital, Taiyuan, China
- 4First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shaanxi, China
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Background: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are systemic inflammation markers, but their association with adult atopic dermatitis (AD) remains underexplored.Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 2001–2006 NHANES data from 10,890 US adults. AD was defined by self-reported physician diagnosis. Cutoffs for NLR (1.81×10⁹/L) and PLR (136.13×10⁹/L) were determined via ROC analysis. Multivariable models adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical covariates.Results: Elevated NLR (≥1.81×10⁹/L) and PLR (≥136.13×10⁹/L) were independently associated with higher AD prevalence after full adjustment (NLR: OR=1.23, 95%CI:1.08–1.40; PLR: OR=1.24, 95%CI:1.10–1.41). Subgroup analyses revealed stronger associations in males, normal-BMI individuals, and asthmatics (PLR: OR=1.84), but inverse correlations in nonsmokers (NLR: OR=0.33; PLR: OR=0.34). Significant interactions occurred with BMI and asthma (PLR-interaction P=0.0077). Conclusions: NLR and PLR are accessible systemic inflammatory biomarkers for AD, with subgroup heterogeneity suggesting roles for lymphocyte depletion (skin homing), neutrophilic (Th17), and platelet-mediated (Th2) inflammation pathways.
Keywords: atopic dermatitis, NHANES, Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, plateletto-lymphocyte ratio, systemic inflammation, biomarker
Received: 28 Feb 2025; Accepted: 03 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, yang and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shuping Guo, Department of Dermatology, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
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