Relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and diabetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of the microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). Several epidemiological studies have shown that inflammation has a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. Recently, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is considered as a novel marker for inflammation in systemic disease. Aim To investigate the relationship between the NLR and DPN in type 2 DM, and to estimate whether NLR can be used as a predictive and reliable marker for DPN. Patients and methods This is a case–control study conducted on 90 individuals; 60 patients with type 2 DM were divided into a group with peripheral neuropathy (DPN) (group 1) and into a group without peripheral neuropathy (group 2) and 30 healthy individuals with age and sex matched served as the control (group 3). All were subjected to full history and clinical examination; laboratory tests included fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial, glycated hemoglobin, and renal function tests, estimated glomerular filtration rate. Complete blood count with assessment of NLR, and nerve conduction study. Results There was highly statistically significant increase in NLR in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy in comparison to group without peripheral neuropathy and control group. Conclusion NLR might be a predictor marker for DPN.