RESUMO
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting preeclampsia (PE) in pregnant women. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases were searched for observational studies (cohort, case-control or cross-sectional) that reported pre-treatment maternal PLR values in women with and without PE. The analysis was done using a random effects model. Pooled effect sizes were reported as weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to evaluate the risk of bias. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies with 7755 patients were included in this meta-analysis. PLR was comparable in patients with PE and healthy pregnant women (WMD -2.97; 95% CI: -11.95 to 6.02; N = 16). Patients with mild (WMD -3.00; 95% CI: -17.40 to 11.41; N = 12) and severe PE (WMD -5.77; 95% CI: -25.48 to 13.94; N = 14) had statistically similar PLR, compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show similar PLR in PE and healthy pregnancies. PLR, therefore, may not be used to differentiate between PE and normal pregnancy or for assessing the severity of PE. The majority of included studies were case-control, potentially introducing bias, and we identified evidence of publication bias as well.
This study assessed the use of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for the prediction of preeclampsia (PE) in pregnant women. After reviewing 25 studies involving 7755 pregnant women, the researchers found that PLR values were similar in women with PE and those with healthy pregnancies. Additionally, PLR did not differ significantly in cases of mild or severe PE, compared to healthy pregnancies. This study concluded that the PLR may not a reliable predictor for PE in pregnant women, nor can it be used to assess the severity of PE. Further research is needed to identify more effective methods for predicting and managing PE in pregnant women.