Complete Blood Count (CBC)-Derived Inflammation Indexes Are Useful in Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Adults with Severe Obesity

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a globally increasing pathological condition. Recent research highlighted the utility of complete blood count-derived (CBC) inflammation indexes to predict MetS in adults with obesity. Methods: This study examined CBC-derived inflammation indexes (NHR, LHR, MHR, PHR, SIRI, AISI, and SII) in 231 adults with severe obesity (88 males, 143 females; age: 52.3 [36.4–63.3] years), divided based on the presence (MetS+) or absence (MetS-) of MetS. The relationships between the indexes and the cardiometabolic risk biomarkers HOMA-IR, TG/HDL-C, and non-HDL-C were also evaluated. Results: Individuals with metabolic syndrome (MetS+) had significantly higher values of MHR, LHR, NHR, PHR, and SIRI than those without (MetS-) (MHR and NHR: p < 0.0001; LHR: p = 0.001; PHR: p = 0.011; SIRI: p = 0.021). These values were positively correlated with the degree of MetS severity. Logistic regression (MHR and NHR: p = 0.000; LHR: p = 0.002; PHR: p = 0.022; SIRI: p = 0.040) and ROC analysis (MHR: AUC = 0.6604; LHR: AUC = 0.6343; NHR: AUC = 0.6741; PHR: AUC = 0.6054; SIRI: AUC = 0.5955) confirmed the predictive potential of CBC-derived inflammation indexes for MetS in individuals with severe obesity. CBC-derived inflammation indexes also correlated with HOMA-IR (MHR, LHR, and NHR: p < 0.0001; PHR: p < 0.001; SIRI: p = 0.000) and TG/HDL-C (MHR, LHR, NHR and PHR: p < 0.0001; SIRI: p = 0.006). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study validates CBC-derived inflammation indexes for predicting MetS in individuals with severe obesity. The relationships between these indexes and cardiometabolic risk factors can enable clinicians to better grade MetS associated with obesity.

Complete Blood Count-Derived Inflammation Indexes Are Useful in Predicting Metabolic Syndrome in Children and Adolescents with Severe Obesity

“…In individuals with MetS, particularly when coupled with obesity, the continuous release of cytokines and adipokines from adipose tissue triggers an inflammatory cascade involving various immune system-related cells [31,32], like neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages [33,34]. In recent years, as an alternative to the standard markers of inflammatory status (i.e., IL-6, CRP, and adiponectin), an increasing body of research has indicated that biomarkers derived from peripheral blood cells, such as the Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) [14,35], Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) [36], Monocyte/Lymphocyte Ratio (MLR) [21], Aggregate Systemic Inflammation Index (AISI) [17], SIRI [12,15], and Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) [12,21], can serve as indicators for detecting and predicting the presence and severity of systemic inflammatory processes, including cardiovascular diseases and MetS.…”

“…Moreover, markers associated with HDL-C were also reported to serve as reliable indicators reflecting the degree of inflammation [15,17,19,21,[37][38][39][40]. Notably, alterations in lipid profiles among individuals with obesity include increases in serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL-cholesterol levels, coupled with a decrease in HDL-cholesterol levels [26,41,42].…”

“…Recent research has shifted focus towards identifying early indicators of MetS and cardiovascular risk in children with obesity. Of particular interest are inflammatory markers derived from the complete blood count (CBC), which provide valuable insights into the systemic inflammation associated with obesity [11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…Indexes like the Monocyte/HDL-C ratio (MHR), Lymphocyte/HDL-C ratio (LHR), Neutrophil/HDL-C ratio (NHR), and System Inflammation Response Index (SIRI) have emerged as relevant biomarkers for assessing systemic inflammation and forecasting cardiovascular risk in a cost-effective manner [12,14,15,[17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…While most of the research utilizing these indexes has concentrated on adults [12,14,15,[17][18][19][20][21][22], to date there is a paucity of studies examining the correlation between childhood obesity and CBC-derived inflammation indexes in relation to MetS and cardiometabolic risks.…”