Measurement of epicardial fatty tissue thickness has a diagnostic value in lichen planus patients and is associated with fibrinogen to albumin ratio and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio.

OBJECTIVE

Lichen planus (LP) is one of the chronic inflammatory diseases. Epicardial fatty tissue (EFT) is the adipose tissue in which pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic hormones and cytokines are secreted. We planned to investigate the predictive value of EFT in LP patients by evaluating together with Fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) other inflammation markers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 53 consecutive LP patients and 57 healthy controls were enrolled in this single-center, prospective, case-control study. Demographic data were recorded; blood tests were obtained from both groups. Then, EFT thickness was measured by echocardiography.

RESULTS

Fibrinogen, FAR, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio, and EFT thickness were higher in LP patients (p < 0.05, for all). EFT was positively correlated with FAR (r = 0.306, p = 0.001), NLR (r = 0.240, p = 0.011), and PLR (r = 0.297, p = 0.002). ROC analysis indicated that FAR could predict LP with a sensitivity of 83 % and a specificity of 44 %; NLR could predict LP with a sensitivity of 80 % and a specificity of 46 %; EFT could predict LP with a sensitivity of 79 % and a specificity of 54 %. In the binary logistic regression analysis NLR, FAR, and EFT were found to be independent predictors of LP.

CONCLUSION

We found a relationship between LP and FAR together with other inflammation parameters NLR, and PLR. We demonstrated for the first time that FAR, NLR and EFT were independent predictors of LP. Also, there was a significant relationship between these parameters and EFT (Tab. 4, Fig. 1, Ref. 30). Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: lichen planus, epicardial fatty tissue, fibrinogen, albumin, neutrophil, lymphocyte.