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The following is a summary of “Association between neutrophil-percentage-to-albumin ratio and diabetic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2009–2018,” published in the March 2025 issue of Frontiers in Endocrinology by Li et al. 

The neutrophil-percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) is recognized as a potential marker for diabetic retinopathy, but its role in diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is yet to be determined.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the association between the NPAR and DKD in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).  

They examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2009–2018), including neutrophil percentage, plasma albumin, serum creatinine (Scr), and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR). Multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association between the NPAR and DKD, followed by sensitivity analyses. Generalized Additive Models with smooth curve fitting explored variable relationships. Subgroup analyses examined variations in the NPAR-DKD association. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves evaluated NPAR’s predictive accuracy for DKD.  

The results showed that among 2,263 participants had higher NPAR levels which were associated with increased odds of DKD. After adjusting for confounders, the odds ratios for DKD were 1.44 (95% CI: 1.08-1.90) in the second quartile, 1.75 (95% CI: 1.33-2.31) in the third quartile, and 2.95 (95% CI: 2.22-3.93) in the fourth quartile. A positive correlation was observed between NPAR and DKD in patients with T2DM. Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences across populations. The ROC analysis demonstrated that NPAR had good predictive performance for DKD.  

Investigators concluded that DKD was positively associated with the NPAR in T2DM, suggesting a need for a larger study. 

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1552772/full