Isolated and Combined Effect of Age and Gender on Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio in the Hyperglycemic Saudi Population
Mohammad A. Alfhili,
Jawaher Alsughayyir,
Ahmed Basudan,
Hazem K. Ghneim,
Mourad A. M. Aboul-Soud,
Mohammed Marie,
Ayed Dera,
Mohammed Alfaifi,
Ali G. Alkhathami,
Zuhier A. Awan,
Mohammed R. Algethami,
Yazeed A. Al-Sheikh
Affiliations
Mohammad A. Alfhili
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Jawaher Alsughayyir
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Basudan
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Hazem K. Ghneim
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Mourad A. M. Aboul-Soud
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Marie
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Ayed Dera
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Alfaifi
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Ali G. Alkhathami
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Zuhier A. Awan
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed R. Algethami
Ministry of Health, Jeddah 21176, Saudi Arabia
Yazeed A. Al-Sheikh
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 12372, Saudi Arabia
Inflammation is pivotal to the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM), but pathological alterations of the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an emerging inflammatory index in DM management, remains understudied. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between NLR and glycemic control in the Saudi population. Gender, age, WBC count, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were obtained from Al-Borg Medical Laboratories for 14,205 subjects. Means, prevalence, risk measures, and the diagnostic accuracy of elevated NLR and hyperglycemia (HG) were evaluated. Subjects with elevated NLR (>3) had significantly higher FBG (105.10 ± 0.33 vs. 114.0 ± 2.81) and NLR was significantly elevated in impaired fasting glycemia (IFG; 1.21 ± 0.01 vs. 1.25 ± 0.01) and HG (1.21 ± 0.01 vs. 1.39 ± 0.02). Elevations of NLR in HG but not in IFG persisted across all age groups except young males and elderly females. The prevalence of elevated NLR in hyperglycemic subjects was 4.12% compared to 2.16% in subjects with normal FBG. HG was more prevalent in subjects with elevated NLR (17.33% vs. 12.46%) who had a relative risk (RR) of 1.68 (95% CI = 1.38–2.06, p p < 0.0001) to be hyperglycemic. Nevertheless, NLR failed to discriminate individuals with normal FBG from those with HG based on ROC curve analysis. Pathological fluctuations in NLR may serve as supportive evidence in DM management.
