Elevated Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Simple, Cost-Effective Inflammatory Marker in Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a prevalent functional gastrointestinal condition that affects people's quality of life, is characterized by ongoing abdominal pain and irregular bowel movements. Recent studies have shown that inflammatory processes play a part in the development of IBS, despite its functional nature. Objective: To investigate the potential diagnostic value of routine blood parameters and their relationship with IBS. Methods: A case-control study included 45 Rome IV-diagnosed IBS patients and 45 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. NLR was calculated from differential white blood cell counts. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis determined diagnostic performance. Results: IBS patients had significantly higher NLR (1.14 ± 0.29) compared to controls (0.74 ± 0.29, p0.89 had 82.2% sensitivity and 75.6% specificity for IBS diagnosis (AUC=0.84, 95% CI: 0.76-0.92). Conclusion: NLR, a simple parameter from routine CBC, is significantly elevated in IBS patients and shows good diagnostic accuracy. This inexpensive marker could aid in identifying inflammatory IBS phenotypes in resource-limited settings.