Changes in immature granulocyte levels and their association with disease activation following biologic therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

Introduction

AS is a chronic disease with an inflammatory serum microenvironment characterized by increased oxidative stress (OS). Along with OS, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are elevated in patients with AS. Overexpression of ROS causes active inflammatory processes leading to the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Immature granulocytes (IG) are essential to the chronic inflammatory process. This may mean that IG can be a parameter used in the follow-up of chronic inflammatory diseases such as AS.

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the change in IG in patients with AS who were on biologic medication for six months after diagnosis and to assess its relationship with disease activity, remission, and BASDAI score.

Methods

This single-center, retrospective study was conducted between January 2020 and January 2022. For the study, 68 patients were included in the patient group and 74 patients in the control group. Demographic and laboratory data were recorded and compared in the groups. Then, the patient group was divided into two groups: pre-biologic drug and post-biologic drug. Hemogram data, IG, ESR, CRP, and BASDAI data were recorded for both groups. Correlation analysis was performed between the results of IG data and hemogram and laboratory data.

Conclusion

In our study, WBC, neutrophil, IG, and IG% ratios were significantly higher in AS patients compared to the control group. Neutrophil, IG, and IG% levels were significantly decreased in the AS group compared to pretreatment and post-treatment comparisons. In addition, IG levels were correlated with WBC, neutrophil, CRP, and ESR levels. This study hypothesized that IG values may be a valuable parameter for monitoring AS disease severity, response to treatment, and disease activation after biological drug use.