BACKGROUND:

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of factors that increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease (CVD): central obesity, elevated fasting plasma glucose, arterial hypertension, raised triglycerides and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Metabolic syndrome and obesity are entities in which chronic subclinical inflammation develops, an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and CVD. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has emerged as a prognostic marker associated to a proinflammatory state, which reflects the balance between innate and adaptive immune responses.

OBJECTIVE:

To define the relation between an elevated NLR and the presence of metabolic syndrome in active employees that attend to PEMEX North Central Hospital. Secondary objectives were to establish the relation between NLR and each component of metabolic syndrome individually.

MATERIAL AND METHOD:

A retrospective, cross-sectional and observational stud was done including employees 18-65 years old and classified them into 2 groups according to metabolic syndrome criteria, NLR was calculated for every patient.

RESULTS:

Of 334 evaluated patients, 155 (46%) didn't meet the metabolic syndrome criteria, and 179 (54%) did. Fifty-seven patients in the highest quartile of NLR (>2.12) corresponded to the metabolic syndrome group (p=0.000). Point biserial correlation coefficient between NLR and metabolic syndrome was 0.235 (p=0.000). Sixty-nine of the 235 patients with central obesity were at the highest quartile of NLR (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION:

These findings suggest that there is a statistically significant relation between elevated NLR (>2.12) and presence of metabolic syndrome and central obesity.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )