Aim and objective: To compare HbA1c levels with inflammatory markers that include a neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) in controlled and uncontrolled diabetics.
Materials and methods: Eighty-nine patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were divided into two groups of controlled (HbA1c <7%) and uncontrolled (HbA1c >7%) diabetics. Recent laboratory data were used to collect HbA1c (glycated hemoglobin) levels, leukocyte count (WBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes. The NLR and MLR were calculated from the laboratory data.
Results: The mean age in controlled and uncontrolled diabetics was 58.30 and 55.62 years, respectively. The mean NLR in controlled and uncontrolled diabetics was 2.61 and 4.88. The difference was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). The mean MLR in controlled and uncontrolled diabetics was 0.2 and 0.24, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). A weak positive correlation was found between HbA1c levels and the hematological indices and the results were statistically insignificant.
Conclusion: The study yielded significant results in the difference between controlled and uncontrolled diabetics with respect to NLR. Although there was only a weak positive correlation found between glycated Hb levels and the hematological indices, the results showed that there is a significant difference in the NLR between the two groups. This proves that there is scope for use of these ratios as inflammatory markers in T2DM.