The Relationship between Red Cell Distribution Width, Mean Platelet Volume, Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Benign Thyroid Nodules

Özet

Introduction: Thyroid diseases are highly associated with the inflammatory process. Red cell distribution width (RDW), mean platelet volume (MPV) and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are recently used inflammatory markers. In this study, our aim is to investigate the relationship between RDW, MPV and NLR levels and benign thyroid nodules. Methods: Patients who referred to Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital internal medicine clinic between January 2011 and May 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. One hundred-sixty patients with benign thyroid nodules and 30 patients without thyroid nodules fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Patients’ routine hemogram tests were recorded and RDW, MPV and NLR values were compared between two groups. Results: The RDW, MPV and NLR values were compared between the group with nodules and the group without nodules. No difference was observed between the groups’ MPV or NLR values. RDW values were significantly higher in the group with nodules than the group without nodules (p=0.036). Discussion and Conclusion: Our study supports the relationship between thyroid nodules and the underlying inflammatory process. However, unlike some studies suggesting an association between inflammatory biomarkers and malignancy, we do not recommend the use of such markers since they may increase in benign conditions, in distinguishing malignant from benign nodules.