Elevated C-reactive protein/albumin ratio in patients with methamphetamine use disorder

Abstract

Background

Methamphetamine use disorder causes significant crises, which have individual, familial, and social consequences. Identifying inflammatory biomarkers for methamphetamine use disorder may be useful for following the inflammatory status of patients in clinical assessment. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) and neutrophil/albumin ratio (NAR) levels can be used as inflammatory biomarkers in methamphetamine use disorder.

Methods

The sample comprised 139 treatment-seeking participants who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for methamphetamine use disorder and 139 sociodemographically matched controls. Only hospitalised patients were included. An independent sample t-test, Pearson’s correlation test, and binominal logistic regression analysis were performed.

Results

CAR (p = 0.016) and NAR (p = 0.048) levels were significantly higher in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder when compared with healthy controls. The CAR level was found to be a significant predictor of group membership in regression analysis for methamphetamine use disorder.

Conclusion

CAR may be a potential inflammatory biomarker for patients with methamphetamine use disorder. CAR as a relatively easier-to-measure biomarker could be beneficial to follow the inflammatory status and treatment response of patients.

KEYPOINTS

• This study showed the increased inflammatory response in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder.

• C- Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio (CAR) may be a potential inflammatory biomarker in methamphetamine use disorder.

• CAR may be used to measure the inflammatory status at different phases of treatment and follow treatment response in patients with methamphetamine use disorder.

Keywords:

• Methamphetamine use disorder
• Inflammation
• Biomarker
• C-reactive protein/albumin ratio

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank and acknowledge the contribution of the research participants, treatment centre and staff.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Any specific grant was not received from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors for this study.