title: The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio as an inflammation marker in non-dipper hypertensive patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-dipper hypertensive patients have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than dipper hypertensive patients. Inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of CVD. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and dipper and non-dipper hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study included 199 consecutive patients that were diagnosed with primary hypertension. According to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring measurements, non-dipper and dipper group were determined. PLR was determined based on the platelet count and lymphocyte count in the complete blood count.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The non-dipper group included 103 patients (74 females and 29 males; mean age: 52.37 ± 10.7 years) and the dipper group included 96 patients (65 females and 31 males; mean age: 48.40 ± 11.1 years). Mean systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in the non-dipper group than in the dipper group (124 ± 15.1 mmHg versus 120 ± 11.2 mmHg, p =0.032) and the median PLR was significantly higher in the non-dipper group than in the dipper group [132.15 (range: 69.64-400) versus 117.0 (range: 53.52-192.26), p = 0.001], whereas the mean white blood cell count (6.86 ± 1.43 × 10³/ μL versus 7.24 ± 1.26 × 10³/μL, p =0.046) and median lymphocyte count [2.09 (range: 0.95-3.92)  × 10³/μL versus 2.24 (range: 0.97-3.98) × 10³/μL, p =0.001) were significantly lower in the non-dipper group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Median PLR was significantly higher in the non-dipper hypertensive patients than in the dipper hypertensive patients. We think this finding further supports the role of an increase in inflammatory response in non-dipper hypertension. Hippokratia 2015; 19 (2):114-118.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bayrakci
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozkayar
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Akyel
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ates
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akyel
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dede
keywords: PLR; Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio; inflammation; non-dipper hypertension