Comparison of inflammation-related hematologic indices for predicting metabolic syndrome in adults

Aim: It was planned to evaluate different hematologic indices (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR), lymphocyte/high-density lipoprotein to cholesterol ratio (LHR), neutrophil/high-density lipoprotein to cholesterol ratio (NHR), and monocyte/high-density lipoprotein to cholesterol ratio (MHR)) associated with inflammation in predicting metabolic syndrome in adults and to predict which marker is the better predictor. Materials and methods: This study comprised 399 adults between the ages of 18 and 65. Bodyweight, height, waist circumference, and blood pressure were measured; fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein, and hemogram values were analyzed. The International Diabetes Federation criteria were used to define metabolic syndrome. Results: The study included 133 (33.3%) males and 266 (66.4%) females with an average age of 54.3 ± 11.8 years. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 58.6% (male 44.3%; female 65.7%). For both men (AUC = 0.730, cutoff = 4.5) and women (AUC = 0.669, cutoff = 4.2), the NHR index has the highest AUC. LHR has the second-highest metabolic syndrome determination in men (AUC = 0.647, cutoff = 6.9). Women’s LHR (AUC = 0.626, cutoff = 6.4) and LMR (AUC = 0.757, cutoff = 4.9) had the second and third highest AUCs, respectively, while NLR and PLR were not significant in either gender (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The NHR index is a strong predictor of metabolic syndrome. In men, the NHR index is a better predictor of metabolic syndrome than the LHR index, and in women, the NHR index is better than the LHR and LMR. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India.