title: The relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and inflammation in end-stage renal disease patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have elevated serum levels of inflammatory mediators including C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), 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.
  
  
  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-α, and IL-6 levels were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NLR, serum CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in PD patients when compared with HD patients. ESRD patients with NLR ≥ 3.5 had significantly higher TNF-α levels when compared with patients with NLR < 3.5. In the bivariate correlation analysis, NLR was positively correlated with TNF-α in this population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simple calculation of NLR can predict inflammation in ESRD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Selcuk University Meram School of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. mdkt2010@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Kultigin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Turkmen
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guney
authors.forename: Fatma Humeyra
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Yerlikaya
authors.forename: Halil Zeki
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Tonbul
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils