ASSOCIATION OF THE NEUTROPHIL-TO-LYMPHOCYTE RATIO WITH INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE AND CAPILLAROSCOPIC PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS

• Grant number: 23/10538-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2023
• End date: September 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Cintia Zumstein Camargo
• Grantee: Amanda Menezes Fonseca
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic connective tissue disease characterized by vasculopathy and fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the leading cause of death in these patients, with a 10-year mortality of up to 40%. Microangiopathy assessed by nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) has been associated with skin and visceral involvement in patients with SSc. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been studied as a marker of inflammatory activity in several clinical conditions. Higher NLR was associated to digital ulcers and ILD, as also to higher morbidity and mortality in patients with SSc. Few authors studied the association between NLR and clinical characteristics in SSc patients, and the correlation between NLR and capillaroscopy has not yet been studied. Primary objective: To explore the association between NLR, NFC parameters and ILD in SSc patients. Secondary objective: To explore the correlation between NLR and NFC parameters in SSc patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional study will be done with retrospective clinical and laboratory data collection from SSc patients undergoing NFC, with comparison of variables between patients with and without ILD.