Systemic Immune Inflammation Index and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Correlate with Fasting Glucose Levels Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Abstract

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) pathogenesis involves low-grade chronic inflammation, which can be measured via surrogate markers such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune inflammation index (SII), and pan-immune inflammation value (PIIV). They were demonstrated to be correlated with T2DM-related outcomes, including mortality, akin to glycemic indices of fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin. However, it is not clear whether a correlation exists between inflammatory markers and glycemic indices. Methods: A retrospective study was designed. Clinical and medication variables, glycemic control variables, and complete blood count differential variables were acquired via electronic medical records. NLR, PLR, SIIV, and PIIV values were calculated. Correlation analyses between fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin values, and inflammatory indices were conducted. Results: Sixty-three patients were included in the study. The median fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels were 115 mg/dL and 6.2%, respectively. SII and NLR significantly correlated with fasting blood glucose levels (r = .271, p = .032, and r = .364 p = .003, respectively). Although PIIV and NLR showed a correlation trend with glycated hemoglobin (r = .238 and r = .236, respectively), this correlation did not reach statistical significance (p = .061 and p = .062, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that SII and NLR are not only associated with long-term diabetic complications but are also correlated with the cross-sectional glycemic index of fasting blood glucose. Further studies with larger patient groups have the potential to demonstrate significant correlations between inflammatory indices and glycated hemoglobin levels.