Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and its Association with Hyperglycaemia: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Chronic subclinical inflammation indicated by an elevated neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) calculated from a complete blood count (CBC) test is reported to be associated with hyperglycemia, including prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). Current evidence on the association between NLR and glycaemic status is limited and conflicting. We aimed to 1. determine if NLR was higher in those with prediabetes compared to those with normoglycemia, and 2. compare the NLR among individuals on treatment for T2DM stratified by glycaemic control. Methods: we analysed hospital data of individuals attending a tertiary care hospital in south India between January, 2021 and December, 2021. Individuals had CBC and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) tests done at the same visit. Hospital records of only those individuals without any clinical features of inflammation at the time of hospital visit were included in this analysis. Normoglycemia and prediabetes were defined as HbA1c < 5.7% and HbA1c ≥5.7 but ≤6.4% respectively, in those without a history of T2DM.Good glycaemic control and poor glycaemic control were defined as HbA1c