A comparative study of platelet to lymphocyte ratio in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects

Shanthini R¹
Abiramasundari R²
Dharani B³
Viji Devanand4
Subathra S5

¹Associate Professor,
²Assistant Professor,
³Post Graduate
4Professor & HOD
5Assistant Professor
Department of Physiology,
Stanley Medical College,
Chennai – 600 001,
Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract
  • Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the most common non-communicable disease worldwide. It is known as a progressive metabolic disease which arises because of insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion. The hallmark of type 2 diabetes mellitus is its microangiopathic complications. Oxidative stress is a key factor in pathological processes which are observed in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Platelet to lymphocyte ratio might be increased in type 2 diabetes mellitus due to chronic inflammation.
  • Aim: To compare the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in the Type 2 diabetic group and the control group.
  • Materials and Methods: A cross sectional analytical study was conducted with 30 healthy volunteers as the control group and 30 type 2 diabetic individuals as the study group.The complete blood count was done and the platelet to lymphocyte ratio was calculated as the ratio of the platelet count to absolute lymphocyte count.
  • Results: The data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The mean platelet to lymphocyte ratio in control group was 105.919±39.34 versus 132.192±42.01 in type 2 diabetic group and was found to be statistically significant (p-value <0.05).
  • Conclusion: The present study found that platelet to lymphocyte ratio was high in diabetic subjects than in control subjects which is statistically significant (p-value <0.05). Hence, during routine checkup the platelet to lymphocyte ratio should be checked for assessing the disease severity and to prevent atherosclerotic complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Keywords: inflammation, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, type 2 diabetes mellitus