The relationship between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been shown to be associated with inflammation. However, in diabetic patients with MetS, its relationship with the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a novel inflammation marker is unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between NLR and MetS in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It was a cross-sectional study which included 261 consecutive patients (mean age 56.7 ± 10.5 years, 56.7% female) with type 2 diabetes. NLR and other clinical and laboratory parameters of patients with and without MetS were evaluated. The prevalence of MetS was 85.8%. The NLR was higher in patients with MetS than without MetS (p = 0.001). There was a significant correlation between the NLR and the number of MetS components (r = 0.147, p = 0.017). Logistic regression analysis showed that an elevated NLR value was an independent predictor of MetS. The receiver operating curve analysis suggested that the optimum NLR cut-off point for MetS was 1.50 with a sensitivity of 74.6% and specificity of 52%. There is a significant relationship between NLR and MetS prevalence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. NLR seems as an independent predictor of MetS in diabetic patients.