The Relationship between Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) and Mean Platelet Volume (MPV) with Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy is the main cause of end-stage kidney disease in diabetic patients. Several inflammatory markers related with diabetic nephropathy have been investigated so far. It is necessary to identify easily available and cost-effective indices. We aimed to determine the relationship between the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and mean platelet volume with diabetic nephropathy.

This cross-sectional study was performed from 2021 to 2022 in diabetes clinic of Ghaem hospital, Mashhad.  Patients with type II diabetes were categorized into two groups: without and with nephropathy (urinary albumin excretion greater than 30 mg/24h or GFR less than 60). Patients’ data, including demographic data, past medical and drug history and lab data were gathered and analyzed.

In total, 100 diabetic patients including 50 with (mean age=64.04±7.40 years) and 50 without nephropathy (mean age=56.06±6.36 years), were studied. Patients with nephropathy were older, had a longer history of diabetes and a higher blood pressure (P < 0.05). However, the distribution of gender, weight, height, and BMI was not significantly different the two groups (P>0.05). The absolute neutrophil count was not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05), while the mean platelet volume, neutrophil% and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio were significantly higher in patients with nephropathy (P<0.05).

According to our findings, patients with diabetic nephropathy had higher mean platelet volume, neutrophil%, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratios compared to diabetic patients without nephropathy.