The Association of the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio With the Outcome of Diabetic Foot Ulcer

IntroductionOne of the most common lower-extremity impediments in people suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) is foot ulceration. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a useful measure in predicting disease-specific morbidity and mortality.ObjectivesThe objective is to study the association between diabetic foot ulcer healing and the NLR.MethodologyA prospective analytical study was conducted among 100 patients with diabetic foot ulcers admitted to a surgical ward in a teaching hospital between April and November 2022. Basic demographic details, ulcer examination, and NLR were evaluated on the day of admission, and the status of ulcers was assessed after six weeks and the outcome was compared with the NLR value. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20 software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL).ResultsThe average neutrophils, lymphocytes, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio were, respectively, 94.73%, 14.97%, and 6.65%. 58% had healing ulcers, and 42% had non-healing ulcers. 44% of study subjects had NLR <6, which is normal, and 56% had NLR >6, which is abnormal. Among 58 subjects with healing ulcers, 75.9% had NLR < 6, and among 42 subjects with non-healing ulcers, 100% had NLR >6, which was statistically significant. The mean NLR in the healing group was 5.15 and in the non-healing group was 8.205; this was statistically significant. This shows an increased NLR has a predisposition towards non-healing chronic ulcers with a poor prognosis.ConclusionNLR can be used as a reliable indicator for determining the healing status of diabetic foot ulcers.