Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio is associated with arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Objective: Systemic inflammation may be a common mechanism for the development of osteoporosis (OP) and atherosclerosis. Elevated arterial stiffness is an index of subclinical atherosclerosis. Recent studies found that neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), is a useful marker of cardiovascular disease and a more powerful predictor than any other leukocyte subtypes. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between NLR and arterial stiffness measured by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between NLR and baPWV in 512 subjects. Results: Compared to the control subjects, NLR and baPWV increased in patients with OP. Partial correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant correlation between NLR and baPWV after adjusting for confounding factors in OP. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that NLR was a significant factor for increased baPWV in patients with OP (beta = 0.249, p < 0.001). However, there was no association between NLR and baPWV in control subjects. Conclusion: NLR and baPWV are elevated in OP. Moreover, NLR is independently associated with baPWV. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether anti-inflammatory treatment could improve arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with OP. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.