Association Between Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Results from the TCLSIH Cohort Study

Abstract

Yanqi Song,1 Yeqing Gu,2 Honglei Guo,3 Honghao Yang,4– 6 Xuena Wang,4– 6 Hongmei Wu,4– 6 Aidi Wang,1 Haijin Wang,1 Quan Zhang,1 Qing Zhang,7 Li Liu,7 Ge Meng,6 Baoshan Liu,1 Kaijun Niu4– 6 1Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Graduate, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Public Health, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Integrative Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 6Nutritional Epidemiology Institute, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 7Health Management Centre, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Kaijun Niu, Nutritional Epidemiology Institute, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, People’s Republic of China, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]; [email protected] Baoshan Liu, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300052, People’s Republic of China, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]: The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in the general Chinese adult male population has risen sharply over the past few decades. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of BPH. To better understand the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of BPH, we can use the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) because it is a simple and effective marker of inflammation and immunity. This study aims to prospectively investigate the association between NLR levels and the prevalence of BPH in a general Chinese adult male population.Patients and Methods: This study included a total of 15,783 male participants free from BPH at baseline. NLR was measured according to the complete blood count. BPH was defined as total prostate volume (TPV) ≥ 30 mL, and TPV was determined by transabdominal ultrasonography. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to calculate hazards ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for BPH risk with NLR levels.Results: During a median follow-up of 2.7 years, 5078 BPH cases were documented. After adjusting for age, body mass index, smoking, alcohol, education, occupation, income, physical activity, total energy intake, personal and family history of disease, and inflammation markers, the multivariable-adjusted HRs of BPH were 1.00 (reference), 1.08 (95% CIs 0.99, 1.17), 1.10 (95% CIs1.02, 1.19), and 1.12 (95% CIs1.03, 1.21), respectively, for participants with NLR in the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles (P for trend < 0.01).Conclusion: Higher NLR levels were associated with a higher risk of BPH in Chinese adult male population. Our findings support the notion that NLR levels may be an important target for BPH prevention and intervention.Keywords: neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, inflammation, benign prostatic hyperplasia, prospective cohort study

Keywords

• neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio
• inflammation
• benign prostatic hyperplasia
• prospective cohort study.