This study examines the association between the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 109 randomly selected T2DM patients, stratified into three groups based on HbA1c levels: good control (14%, HbA1c <7%), moderate control (16%, HbA1c 7–8%), and poor control (70%, HbA1c >8%). Demographic and hematological parameters were analyzed, with NLR calculated from complete blood count data.
Results demonstrated a significant increase in NLR with deteriorating glycemic control (good: 1.8±0.8; moderate: 1.9±0.8; poor: 2.3±1.2; p=0.015). No significant age or gender differences were observed among groups. Patients with longer diabetes duration (>5 years) exhibited higher HbA1c and NLR levels, suggesting a link between chronic hyperglycemia and inflammation. The findings support NLR as a low-cost, accessible inflammatory marker for T2DM progression.
This study highlights NLR’s potential as a clinical biomarker for monitoring glycemic control and systemic inflammation in T2DM. Future research should investigate NLR’s predictive value for diabetes-related complications.