Murat ESER, Serdar KARAKAYA, Oktay ÜNSAL, Fatma KAPLAN EFE, Derun Taner ERTUĞRUL, İbrahim KARADAĞ, Oktay BULUR, Mustafa ALTAY

The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and its relationship with insulin resistance in obesity

Background/aim: In this study, our aim was to investigate the neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, variations in leukocytes and leukocytesubtypes, and the relationship between N/L ratio and insulin resistance (IR) in obesity.Materials and methods: Ninety-six patients and 40 healthy controls were included in this study. Patients’ blood glucose levels, insulinlevels, and hemogram parameters upon 8 h of fasting were determined. Body mass index (BMI) and Homeostasis Model AssessmentInsulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) values were calculated.Results: Neutrophil numbers were found to be higher among obese patients with IR than among non-IR obese patients. The N/L ratiowas, moreover, found to be higher among obese patients with IR when compared to non-IR obese patients. A positive correlation wasfound between insulin resistance and both neutrophil and WBC counts. Positive correlations were also found between insulin levels andthe N/L ratio, WBC counts, and neutrophil counts.Conclusion: In our study, leukocyte numbers and subtypes were determined to be higher among obese individuals than among healthyindividuals. The N/L ratio was increased significantly only among obese patients with IR. Further studies are needed in order to betterdemonstrate the relationship between the N/L ratio and IR/inflammation.

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