Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: A meta-analysis
Pooled result · NLR, SLE vs healthy controlsResult — go to the resultSMD 1.051 95% CI 0.817–1.286Authors' conclusion
This meta-analysis demonstrates that NLR is significantly increased in SLE patients compared to healthy controls, and that NLR is associated with greater disease activity, supported by its positive correlation with SLEDAI.
Study context
- Population
- Studies comparing neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and healthy controls; MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science from inception through August 2025Thirty-one studies
- Participants
- 4,006 vs 2,576
- Comparison
- NLR in SLE vs healthy controls; active vs inactive SLE; active lupus nephritis (LN) vs non-LN; correlation of NLR with SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)
- SLEn = 4,006
- Healthy controlsn = 2,576reference
- Outcome
- NLR in SLE patients vs healthy controls
Methodological detailsstratified by ethnicity, sample size and publication year
- Stratified by ethnicity, sample size and publication year
Pooled result
NLR, SLE vs healthy controls
SMD
1.051
95% CI 0.817–1.286
P < 0.001
SLEvs Healthy controls
SMD 1.051 (95% CI 0.817–1.286); P < 0.001
As reported in the abstract
Further pooled results
| Outcome | SMD (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NLR, SLE vs healthy controls by ethnicity (subgroups)SLE (European)vs Healthy controls | 1.058 (0.402–1.713) | P = 0.002 | |
| NLR, SLE vs healthy controls by ethnicity (subgroups)SLE (Asian)vs Healthy controls | 1.058 (0.839–1.278) | P < 0.001 | |
| NLR, SLE vs healthy controls by ethnicity (subgroups)SLE (Arab)vs Healthy controls | 1.127 (0.707–1.547) | P < 0.001 | |
| NLR, activevs inactive SLE | 1.134 (0.252–2.017) | P = 0.012 | |
| NLR, active LNvs non-LN | 0.467 (−0.045-0.979) | P = 0.074 | |
| −10123Difference (linear scale) |
Correlation of NLR with SLEDAI
- Pooled correlation coefficient
- 0.354 (95% CI 0.256-0.444, p < 0.001)
- Asian subgroup correlation coefficient
- 0.358 (95% CI 0.246-0.461, p < 0.001)
- Arab subgroup correlation coefficient
- 0.525 (95% CI 0.382-0.644, p < 0.001)
Original publication
Association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: A meta-analysis. Lupus. Published 23 August 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →