Association of Inflammatory Hematological Indices (NLR, NMR, PLR, and MLR) with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Case–Control Study
Inflammatory Hematological Indices and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v7i10.3986Keywords:
Diabetes, Gestational, Blood Cell Count, Biomarkers, Glucose Tolerance Test, Pregnancy, InflammationAbstract
Gestational Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disorder affecting approximately 7-14% of pregnant women and is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Low-grade chronic inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of GDM. Complete blood count parameters related to inflammatory indices, such as the “neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio,” have emerged as accessible and cost-effective biomarkers. Objective: To find out the association of Inflammatory Hematological Indices (NLR, NMR, PLR, and MLR) with GDM in pregnant females. Methods: This case–control study was conducted at Ziauddin Hospitals, Karachi, from July 2025 to December 2025. A total of 110 pregnant women were enrolled, comprising 51 women diagnosed with GDM and 59 non-GDM controls. GDM was diagnosed on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, based on oral glucose tolerance test. CBC was obtained, and inflammatory indices were subsequently calculated. Results: GDM patients showed significantly higher fasting, 1-hour, and 2-hour plasma glucose levels compared to the control group (p<0.001). Highly significant differences were observed in NMR and MLR, and a significant difference in NLR. GDM was significantly associated with NLR and MLR. After adjusting for NMR, PLR, and MLR, the multivariate regression analysis showed that NLR association (OR = 5.32, p=0.008) with low discriminative ability. Conclusion: Among the inflammatory indices, NLR and MLR were found to be associated with GDM with low discriminative ability. However, it can be used as an adjunctive inflammatory marker.
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