Can Prognostic Nutritional Index Predict Behçet Disease Activity?
Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) may be an independent predictor of disease activity among patients with Behçet disease (BD), according to results of a recent cross-sectional study.
“To date, no marker has been accepted as a specific tool to identify and estimate BD activity,” the researchers wrote. “Hence, identification of a new marker associated with BD activity will facilitate follow-up and management of patients with BD.”
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The PNI—calculated from the serum albumin level and total lymphocyte count—was recently associated with disease activity in numerous rheumatic diseases, according to the researchers. This new study is believed to be the first to connect the measure to activity in BD, the researchers said.
The investigation included 88 adults with BD (48 with active disease and 40 with inactive disease, according to assessment with the Behçet Disease Current Activity Form [BDCAF]) and 51 healthy controls.
Participants with active BD had significantly lower mean PNI compared with participants with inactive BD and healthy controls, the researchers found. Participants with active disease had higher erythrocyte sedimentation rates and C-reactive protein levels, as well as significantly higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, than participants from the other 2 groups. Furthermore, the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio was higher among participants with active BD compared with participants with inactive BD. Only PNI was significantly associated with disease activity in multivariate analysis. Spearman’s analysis also found the highest correlation between PNI and disease activity.
For active BD, the study showed that the optimum cutoff of PNI was 55.35 (95% CI, 0.789-0.942).
“PNI is a cheap and easily available index derived from routine hemogram and biochemical tests,” the researchers concluded. “In addition to BDCAF, PNI may be a convenient tool for the assessment of disease activity in BD.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
Reference:
Ataş N, Babaoğlu H, Demirel E, et al. Use of prognostic nutritional index in the evaluation of disease activity in patients with Behçet’s disease. Eur J Rheumatol. 2020;7(3):99-104. doi:10.5152/eurjrheum.2020.20010
