The relationship between 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure load and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is established as a reliable marker of systemic inflammation. Low-grade inflammation has a key role in the pathogenesis and progression of hypertension (HTN). Blood pressure (BP) load, defined as the percentage of abnormally elevated BP readings, is a good marker of HTN severity. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between HTN severity and NLR using averaged ambulatory BP readings and BP load.

A total of 300 patients with untreated essential HTN were included in this cross-sectional study. Patients were divided into quartiles according to NLR values (first: <1.55; second: 1.55-1.92; third: 1.92-2.48; and fourth: >2.48). Averaged ambulatory BP values and BP load were assessed for each quartile.

In the interquartile evaluation there were no differences between quartiles in terms of baseline demographic, clinical and echocardiographic characteristics (p>0.05). Daytime systolic BP (SBP), 24-hour diastolic BP (DBP), daytime DBP, daytime SBP load, 24-hour DBP load and daytime DBP load were found to be significantly higher in the upper two quartiles (p<0.05 for all). In correlation analysis, log NLR values were found to be positively correlated with 24-hour SBP, DBP, SBP load and DBP load (Pearson coefficients of 0.194, 0.197, 0.157 and 0.181, respectively; p<0.01 for all). In multivariate analysis, log NLR had an independent association with 24-hour SBP and DBP and 24-hour SBP and DBP load.

This study showed for the first time that increased NLR is independently associated with HTN severity in untreated essential HTN patients.