C-PEPTIDE AS AN INFLAMMATORY MARKER IN OBESE WOMEN

Insulin resistance (IR) is a component of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome and it increases in the presence of chronic inflammation. Lately, "neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio" (NLR) has been used as an indicator of inflammation. This study evaluates the association between IR and NLR in obese women.

Obese female patients who were followed up in a university hospital for the last two years were included in the study. Homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), C-peptide, NLR, bioelectrical impedance measurements of 83 patients were analyzed.

The C-peptide levels of our patients showed a highly significant correlation with HOMA-IR (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between fasting plasma C-peptide levels and NLR (r=0.36 and p<0.003) in obese women. The increase in C-peptide levels had a significant effect on the increase in NLR (r2=0.31, p=0.002), however insulin had no similar effect on NLR (r2=0.01, p=0.544).

Plasma C-peptide levels are better correlated with NLR compared to other parameters of IR. C-peptide may be used as an efficient laboratory marker with high relevance in IR and chronic inflammatory conditions in obese women.