The Relationship Between Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Inflammation in End-Stage Renal Disease Patients

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have elevated serum levels of inflammatory mediators including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin (IL)-6. Systemic inflammation was found to be correlated with coronary artery disease (CAD) in this population. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was introduced as a potential marker to determine inflammation in cardiac and non-cardiac disorders. Data regarding NLR and its association with inflammation are lacking. We aimed to determine the relationship between NLR and inflammation in ESRD patients. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 61 ESRD patients (25 females and 36 males; mean age: 48.3 +/- 14.5 years) receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) for >= 6 months in the Dialysis Unit of Selcuk University. NLR, CRP, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 levels were measured. Results: NLR, serum CRP, IL-6, and TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in PD patients when compared with HD patients. ESRD patients with NLR >= 3.5 had significantly higher TNF-alpha levels when compared with patients with NLR < 3.5. In the bivariate correlation analysis, NLR was positively correlated with TNF-alpha in this population. Conclusions: Simple calculation of NLR can predict inflammation in ESRD patients.