Relationship Between Neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio and Malnutrition in Older Adults

Objective: Blood neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) indicated an increased inflammation in cardiac, rheumatologic, cancer, and some geriatric syndromes. This study aimed to determine the diagnostic value of NLR in the diagnosis of malnutrition or severity. Materials and Methods: A total of 303 elderly patients were included in this study. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed on each patient, and the mini nutritional assessment tool was used to assess the nutritional status. The hemogram values of all patients were investigated to determine an NLR inflammatory marker. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that the presence and risk of malnutrition were independently associated with NLR, hemoglobin, hematocrit, albumin, age, and smoking in univariate analysis. Of the above independent variables, body mass index, hematocrit, and vitamin B12 were found to be significantly associated with malnutrition and risk of malnutrition in multivariate analysis. This study revealed that patients with malnutrition and those at risk of malnutrition have elevated NLR than those with normal nutritional status. However, it was not significantly associated with multivariate analysis. Conclusion: A variety of etiological factors and mild or severe inflammation in the course of concomitant diseases cannot be overlooked in the current state of patients. Therefore, laboratory or clinical criteria other than the NLR would be useful for early detection of the relationship between malnutrition and inflammation. Keywords: Blood neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, malnutrition, older adult, inflammation