title: Usefulness of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Prediction of Coronary Artery Lesions in Patients with Kawasaki Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory condition. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is a marker reflecting inflammation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to evaluate usefulness of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in diagnosis of Kawasaki disease and in prediction of coronary artery lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five children with Kawasaki disease and 66 controls were retrospectively enrolled. Their leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts were recorded. Abnormally distributed data were shown as median (interquartile range). Cases having coronary artery diameter two standard deviation above mean were diagnosed to have coronary artery lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age of Kawasaki disease patients was 34 months. Twentyfive of those (33.33%) had incomplete Kawasaki disease and twenty-six (34.66%) had coronary artery lesions. Leukocyte [12.61 (6.09)×10(3)/µL vs. 8.48 (5.58)×10(3)/µL], neutrophil [6.73 (4.10) ×10(3)/µL vs. 4.62 (5.47)×10(3)/µL], and lymphocyte [4.04 (2.91)×10(3)/µL vs. 3.02 (2.57) ×10(3)/µL] counts were significantly higher in Kawasaki disease patients compared to controls (all p values <0.01). However, there was not significant difference between patients and controls regarding neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio [1.72 (1.22) vs. 1.71 (1.88)]. Findings of Kawasaki disease and incomplete Kawasaki disease cases did not differ, while comparison of patients with and without coronary artery lesions revealed significantly higher neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio values in former group [2.02 (1.63) vs. 1.50 (1.28), p=0.01]. The cut-off neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio value for prediction of coronary artery lesions was determined as 1.32.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio values in Kawasaki patients with coronary lesions were significantly higher than the ones without and values greater than 1.32 were useful in prediction of coronary lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fikri
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karadeniz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Rahmi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Özdemir
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yılmaz
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yozgat
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kübra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Çelegen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Utku
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Karaaslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demirol
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Timur
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meşe
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Behçet Uz Children's Hospital, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nurettin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ünal
keywords: Coronary aneurysm; Kawasaki disease; lymphocytes; neutrophils