Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 9, 2026
The Isolation and Characterization of Low- and Normal- Density Neutrophils from Whole Blood
Published on: February 7, 2025
What is the normal value of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio?
Patrice Forget1,2, Céline Khalifa3, Jean-Philippe Defour4
1Department of Anesthesiology, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Institute of Neuroscience (pole CEMO), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1200, Brussels, Belgium. forgetpatrice@yahoo.fr.
Background:
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has proven its prognostic value in cardiovascular diseases, infections, inflammatory diseases and in several types of cancers. However, no cut-off has been proposed on the basis of reference values coming from healthy population.
Methods:
Routine blood samples were obtained (n = 413) from workers (age: median 38, range: 21-66 years) involved in a health care prevention program, to determine means, standard deviations (SDs), 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), percentiles P2.5 and P97.5. A second independent sample of healthy volunteers is compared (n = 29).
Results:
The mean NLR is 1.65 [±1.96 SD: 0.78-3.53] (95% CI [0.75-0.81] and [3.40-3.66]). In the second cohort (healthy control), the NLR values are in the same range, whichever the used analyzer. No NLR assessed in the validation series is out of the proposed limits.
Conclusions:
We have identified that the normal NLR values in an adult, non-geriatric, population in good health are between 0.78 and 3.53. These data will help to define the normal values of the NLR.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Structure and Function of Leukocytes
White blood cells protect the body...
01:27Disorders of Leukocytes
Leukopenia may result from bone marrow disorders, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. For example, conditions such as multiple myeloma and aplastic anemia can impair the bone marrow's ability to produce adequate leukocytes. Similarly, autoimmune diseases like lupus and viral infections such as HIV can prompt the immune...