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  • Clinical Research Article
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Hematologic and biochemical inflammatory markers increase with body mass and positively correlate in adolescents

Pediatric Research volume 95, pages 223–226 (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that has its origins in childhood. The goal of this study was to explore the relationships of hematologic inflammatory markers to body mass, biochemical inflammatory markers and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Methods

Healthy, white, non-Hispanic identifying adolescents (n = 75, age 12 to 18 years) were enrolled. Measures studied included body mass index percentile (BMI%), neutrophil and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (NLR, PLR), pan immune inflammation value (PIV), lipids, augmentation index, reactive hyperemia, inflammatory markers (interleukin 6: IL6, c-reactive protein: CRP), complement (C3, C3a, C4, C4a, C5a) insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity (oral glucose tolerance test: Matusda index, and disposition index (DI)).

Results

NLR (rS = 0.31, p < 0.01), PLR (rS = 0.32, p < 0.01), PIV (rS = 0.32, p < 0.01) and CRP (rS = 0.51, p < 0.001) all positively correlated with BMI% but IL-6 did not. NLR, PLR and PIV all positively correlated with each other. NLR correlated with the reactive hyperemia response (rS = 0.29, p < 0.02) but this relationship was lost when BMI% was included. NLR positively correlated with C3a, C4, CRP and IL6 even when BMI% was included.

Conclusion

In healthy adolescents hematologic markers of inflammation increase with increasing body mass and neutrocyte to lymphocyte ratio is associated with increased complement and inflammatory markers independent of obesity.

Impact statement

  • Hematologic and biochemical markers of inflammation increase with increased body mass in healthy adolescents.

  • Hematologic and biochemical markers of inflammation are positively related independent of body mass in healthy adolescents.

  • Hematologic inflammatory markers are not related to markers of cardiometabolic risk in healthy adolescents.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the nursing staff at the Clinical Research Center at the Wexner Medical Center of The Ohio State University.

Funding

The project was supported by a grant from the Great Rivers Affiliate of the American Heart Association and Award Number Grant UL1TR001070 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences or the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA

    Robert P. Hoffman

  2. Center for Microbial Pathogenesis, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA

    Chack-Yung Yu

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Contributions

R.P.H. designed and oversaw performance of the study, performed statistical analysis, wrote and approved the final manuscript. C.Y.Y. helped design the study, oversaw laboratory measurements and reviewed the manuscript. All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

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Correspondence to Robert P. Hoffman.

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Hoffman, R.P., Yu, CY. Hematologic and biochemical inflammatory markers increase with body mass and positively correlate in adolescents. Pediatr Res 95, 223–226 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02769-x

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