Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance of Systemic Inflammatory Indices in Bell’s Palsy in Relation to Electrophysiological Findings: A Retrospective Observational Case-Control Study
E Simsek, E Baran, M Mutlu, DK Gok, BN UgurluBackground:
Systemic inflammatory indices have been investigated as potential biomarkers in Bell’s palsy (BP), but their relationship with electrophysiological findings remains unclear.
Aim:
This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of NLR, MPV, RDW, PDW, SII, and SIRI in patients with BP and to evaluate their relationship with electrophysiological test results (ENoG and EMG).
Methods:
In this retrospective study, 90 patients diagnosed with BP and 90 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals were evaluated. Complete blood count parameters at the time of diagnosis were recorded, and related inflammatory indices were calculated. ENoG results (performed between days 3 and 10) and EMG results (performed after day 21) of patients with BP were analyzed. Differences between groups and correlations with electrophysiological tests were statistically assessed.
Results:
NLR, SIRI, and SII were higher in the Bell’s palsy group in the initial comparisons. After false discovery rate correction, the differences in NLR and SIRI remained significant, whereas SII did not. ROC analyses demonstrated limited discriminatory performance, with AUC values of 0.611 for NLR, 0.605 for SIRI, and 0.591 for SII. In age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression models, higher NLR, SIRI, and SII values were independently associated with Bell’s palsy. No significant associations were observed between the inflammatory indices and electrophysiological prognostic indicators.
Conclusion:
NLR and SIRI were associated with Bell’s palsy after correction for multiple comparisons, and NLR, SIRI, and SII showed independent associations in age- and sex-adjusted models. However, their limited ROC performance indicates that these indices should not be considered stand-alone diagnostic tests. No significant association was observed with the electrophysiological prognostic indicators evaluated in this cohort.