Study of the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet Indices in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious threat to global health with an increasing prevalence and incidence rates. Diabetes mellitus causes serious complications such as diabetic nephropathy. Diabetic nephropathy is now the most common reason of chronic kidney disease. Inflammation plays a crucial role in development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Diabetic nephropathy or diabetic kidney disease is a syndrome described by the presence of pathological amounts of proteinuria, diabetic glomerular lesions and decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in diabetic patients [1]

Methodology: It was an analytical cross-sectional type of study. The source of data included patients attending the medicine outpatient department, admitted to the inpatient department and ICU, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria at the National Institute of Medical Sciences & Research & Hospital, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Written consent was obtained from all participants in this study.

Using the values from the previous study, the sample size was calculated as 107 subjects. A total of 107 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were distributed into three groups according to urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio

Results: The demographic details of the study population are as follows: The total sample consisted of 107 participants. The mean age of the participants was 58.896 ± 9.692 years. In terms of age group distribution, the majority of participants were between 61–70 years (45 participants, 42.0%), followed by those in the 51–60 years age group (31 participants, 29.0%). Participants aged 41–50 years accounted for 16 (15.0%), while 8 participants (7.4%) were aged 71 years or above, and 7 participants (6.6%) fell into the 31–40 years category. In terms of gender distribution, 44 participants (41.5%) were female, while 63 participants (58.5%) were male. The average height of the participants was 168.255 ± 6.257 cm, and the average weight was 74.896 ± 5.402 kg. These characteristics provide a comprehensive overview of the study population

Conclusion: the findings of this study offer a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients suffering from diabetic nephropathy. The data highlight several critical factors contributing to the progression of this disease, including elevated blood pressure, inadequate glycemic control, and the presence of inflammatory markers, such as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), which are significantly associated with the pathophysiology of diabetic nephropathy. These factors point to a multifactorial process where metabolic imbalances and immune system dysregulation interact to accelerate kidney damage in patients with diabetes.