European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Background: The elevated ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes, commonly referred to as NLR, can function as an indicator and a prognosticator for a range of cardiac and non-cardiac ailments. The aim of our study was to examine the correlation between NLR and different levels of glycemic regulation in individuals with type 2 diabetes and present our results. Methods: An observational study was conducted at teaching hospital of Central India, wherein 90 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were purposively selected and categorised into three groups based on their level of diabetes control, as per the standards set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The study categorised patients into three groups based on their HbA1c levels: group A consisted of patients with HbA1c levels ≤ 7% indicating excellent control, group B included patients with HbA1c levels ranging from 7.0-9.0% indicating poor control, and group C comprised patients with HbA1c levels ≥ 9% indicating the worst control. The patients underwent evaluation with regards to their complete blood count.  Results: In comparison to patients belonging to Group A, who exhibited favourable control, patients belonging to Group C, who demonstrated the poorest control, manifested a significantly elevated leukocyte count (p.001), an increased neutrophil count (p.003), and a decreased lymphocyte count (p 0.44). There was no significant difference observed among the patients belonging to Group B. The NLR value exhibited a statistically significant increase in Group C, which represented the worst control, as compared to Group B, which represented poor control, and Group A, which represented the best control. The values were recorded as 4.32.8, 2.71.0, and 2.00.5, respectively. (p.001). The Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), in conjunction with fasting blood sugar, was identified as an autonomous predictor of suboptimal diabetes control. The odds ratio for NLR was 1.809 with a 95% confidence interval of 1.459-2.401, while the odds ratio for fasting blood sugar was 0.938 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.995-0.982. Conclusion: Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus exhibiting elevated levels of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are also observed to have elevated levels of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and suboptimal glycemic control. In the context of post-treatment management of individuals with diabetes, it may be employed as a means of closely monitoring their overall well-being.