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. 2016 Oct;10(10):1061-1072.
doi: 10.2217/bmm-2016-0147. Epub 2016 Oct 3.

Causes of variation in the neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios: a twin-family study

Bochao D Lin  1 , Jouke-Jan Hottenga  1   2 , Abdel Abdellaoui  1 , Conor V Dolan  1 , Eco J C de Geus  1   2 , Cornelis Kluft  3 , Dorret I Boomsma  1   2 , Gonneke Willemsen  1   2
Affiliations

Causes of variation in the neutrophil-lymphocyte and platelet-lymphocyte ratios: a twin-family study

Bochao D Lin et al. Biomark Med. 2016 Oct.

Abstract

Aim: Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are biomarkers for disease development, for whom little is known about causes of variation in the general population.

Materials & methods: We estimated the heritability of PLR and NLR and examined their association with gender, demographic, lifestyle and environmental factors in a Dutch nonpatient twin family population (n = 8108).

Results: Heritability was estimated at 64% for PLR and 36% for NLR. Men had on average higher NLR, but lower PLR levels than women. PLR and NLR increased significantly with age, decreased in colder months and showed small but significant sex- and age-specific associations with body composition and smoking.

Conclusion: NLR and PLR levels are heritable and influenced by age, sex and environmental factors, such as seasonal conditions and lifestyle.

Keywords: BMI; NLR; PLR; age; heritability; sex differences; smoking; weather conditions.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by: Genotype/phenotype database for genetic studies (ZonMW Middelgroot [911-09-032]); Database Twin register (NWO 575-25-006); Twin family database for behavior genetics and genomics studies (NWO 480-04-004); Genome-wide analyses of European twin and population cohorts (EU/QLRT-2001-01254); a collaborative study of the genetics of DZ twinning (NIH R01 HD042157-01A1); EMGO+ Institute for Health and Care Research, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Center for Medical Systems Biology (CMSB), Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI-NL) 184.021.007; GENOMEUTWIN/EU (QLG2-CT-2002-01254); NIH (NIHHEALTHF4-2007-201413); European Research Council (230374-GMI). B Lin received a PhD grant (201206180099) from the China Scholarship Council. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Figures

<b>Figure 1.</b>
Figure 1.. The relationship between monthly temperature and the average neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio and platelet–lymphocyte ratio, for men and women separately.
The relationship between monthly temperature (gray dotted line) and the average NLR and PLR for men (blue line) and women (red line). NLR: Neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio; PLR: Platelet–lymphocyte ratio.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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