Neutrophil Count as a Reliable Marker of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Autoimmune Diabetes

Background A growing body of evidence supports neutrophils as an active player in the development of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, the clinical relevance of neutrophils and DKD in autoimmune diabetes remains unknown. This study aims to investigate the relationship between circulating neutrophils and DKD in autoimmune diabetes.Methods Patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D, n=226) and latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA, n=79) were enrolled and stratified according to the urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR). Circulating levels of white blood cells (WBCs), including neutrophils, were measured in a central laboratory, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was calculated. The risk factors associated with DKD were analysed by logistic regression.Results In T1D and LADA patients, the peripheral neutrophil counts increased in parallel with DKD advancement. The neutrophil counts in the patients with macroalbuminuria were significantly higher than those in the patients with normoalbuminuria for each type of diabetes. Furthermore, neutrophil counts positively correlated with the ACR. In addition, neutrophils were independently associated with DKD in T1D in the logistic regression analysis, when various well-known risk factors, including disease duration, sex, and smoking status, were adjusted as continuous variables.Conclusions Neutrophil counts are closely associated with DKD in patients with autoimmune diabetes, suggesting neutrophil-mediated inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of DKD in patients with autoimmune diabetes.