High Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio and Its Gene Signatures Correlate With Diastolic Dysfunction in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Aims: To evaluate the interrelation between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) coupled with gene signatures, inflammation, and diastolic dysfunction in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: The clinical profile of 172 patients with HFpEF (EF ≥ 50%) and 173 non-HF control individuals was analyzed retrospectively. The association between NLR and HFpEF and the predictive performance of NLR for HFpEF were assessed by the binary logistic regression analysis and the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Multivariate linear regression models further examined the associations between NLR and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and average septal-lateral E/e', respectively. The freshly isolated neutrophils from 30 HFpEF patients and 42 non-HF controls were subjected to transcriptomic profiling. The biomarkers related to neutrophil activation and inflammation were detected in serum samples. Results: The HFpEF patients in Southeast China were lean and had comorbidity burden and worse cardiac structure/function. Compared with non-HF control individuals, HFpEF patients had a rise in NLR. NLR displayed an independent association with HFpEF [adjusted odds ratio, 2.351; 95% CI, 1.464–3.776; p < 0.001] and it predicted HFpEF with the area under the ROC 0.796 (95% CI, 0.748–0.845, p < 0.001). The positive associations between NLR and hs-CRP, NT-proBNP, and mitral E/e' were found in HFpEF patients. Moreover, patients had significantly elevated serum levels of neutrophil elastase and inflammatory biomarkers, both of which correlated with the mitral E/e' ratio. Finally, multiple molecules that drive neutrophil degranulation and inflammation, such as S100A8/A9/A12 and PADI4, were transcriptionally up-regulated in neutrophils of HFpEF patients. Conclusions: The high NLR coupled with transcriptional activation of neutrophils correlates with systemic inflammation and functional impairment in HFpEF patients, which may suggest a causative role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of the disease.