Relationship of the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio with cardiovascular risk markers in premenopausal and postmenopausal women

Introduction
Cardiovascular disease is more frequent in postmenopausal women. Atherosclerosis is associated with inflammation and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of inflammation whose behavior in postmenopause is unknown.

Aim
To know the relationship of the NLR with cardiovascular risk markers in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

Material and methods
Premenopausal and postmenopausal women were studied, in all of them a complete hemogram and the NLR, platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were calculated, also glucose and lipids levels were measured. In all of them subcutaneous and visceral fat, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), epicardial fat were measured by ultrasound Also baseline and and after flow-mediated stimulus the arterial diameter, the pulsatility index and the resistive index of the brachial artery were measured by ultrasound. The results are reported with medians and intervals, Mann-Whitney U and Spearman correlation analysis were performed.

Results
Eighty two patients were recruited, 41 premenopausal and 41 postmenopausal. When comparing both groups there was no difference in glucose, lipids, NLR, PLR, carotid IMT, epicardial fat, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat or Doppler parameters of the brachial artery.

Conclusions
NLR was not different between premenopausal and postmenopausal women but abnormal PLR was greater in those postmenopausal with vasomotor symptoms.