Neutrophil / lymphocyte ratio in frontotemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by behavioral, cognitive, and speech disorders. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an inexpensive and easily calculated indicator of systemic inflammation, has been evaluated as a biomarker in many neurodegenerative diseases. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between NLR and FTD and to demonstrate its potential diagnostic value. Forty-eight FTD patients and 48 healthy controls were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic, biochemical, hematological, and cognitive outcomes of the participants were compared. ANCOVA and logistic regression analyses were performed, and principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to assess multivariate discrimination. NLR levels were found to be significantly higher in the FTD group than in the control group (median 4.825 vs. 1.63; p<0.001). This significant difference remained significant after adjustment for variables such as age, body mass index, hemoglobin, liver enzymes, glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and platelet count. Although logistic regression analysis yielded a high odds ratio (Exp(B) = 10.441) for NLR, statistical significance was not achieved. This could be explained by the limited sample size. Furthermore, NLR was positively correlated with glucose, BUN, AST, and ALT, and negatively correlated with hemoglobin and BMI. PCA analysis revealed NLR as the strongest variable distinguishing between the groups. Our study findings suggest a possible association between FTD and systemic inflammation. NLR is not yet a diagnostic marker alone, but when used in conjunction with clinical and radiological findings, it may be useful in the early diagnosis and risk stratification of FTD. Larger and more advanced studies are needed to confirm our results and clarify their clinical significance.