In a nationally representative sample of population from the USA, we explored the association of two new inflammatory indices (SII and SIRI) with CVD in prediabetes and diabetes. We found that there was a positive association both SII and SIRI with CVD among prediabetes and diabetes. In addition, a nonlinear association between SIRI and CVD in diabetic and prediabetic populations was observed. Furthermore, in the prediabetes, there was a positive association between SIRI and CVD. Similarly, SIRI was positively associated with CVD in diabetes.
Our study found that two inflammatory indices were associated with CVD in prediabetes and diabetes. In fact, some studies have confirmed that SII index and SIRI were effective biological predictors of CVD [12, 21, 22], elevated SII was also associated with an increased CVD risk from a recent systematic review and meta-analysis [23]. For example, Xu et all focused on middle-aged and elderly in China and found that SII played an important effect on the development of stroke and CHD [12]. Another decade-long cohort study in general people also confirmed that stroke risk increased with the increase of SII and SIRI [22]. The above studies show that the two inflammatory indices assess the impact of inflammation on disease. However, these studies ignored people with diabetes and prediabetes who are at high risk of CVD. Our study highlights the importance of monitoring SII index and SIRI to those diabetes and prediabetes, to understand the interaction between inflammation and disease outcomes and the possible impact on CVD.
Our study further explored the association between doses of both inflammatory indices and CVD, a nonlinear relationship between SIRI and CVD was observed. In the previous study, a nonlinear association of the SIRI with CVD and all-cause mortality was demonstrated in hypertensive populations [24]. Our research shows that in the nonlinear relationship between SIRI and CVD, the risk of developing CVD decreases when the turning points of SIRI about exceeding 2. Consistently, several studies have demonstrated a non-linear association between white blood cell count and CVD outcomes [25–27]. On the contrary, a positive relationship between SIRI and severe CVD outcomes was found in the cohort study by Han et all [28]. Although there is some controversy in the current study on the specific relationship, our study and previous studies agree that when the lower of cell index may weak the poor physical healthy. Similarly, for per 1 SD increase in SII, the risk of CVD increased by 27%, and a linear trend was observed, but a non-linear association was not found in our study. However, a U shape curve was found between SII and CVD, cancer and all-cause mortality among hypertensive or CVD individuals [16, 29]. Our study did not find a non-linear association between SII index and CVD in people with diabetes and prediabetes. It is possible that SII index and SIRI two inflammatory indexes have different effects on CVD.
For each one SD increase in the SIRI, the risk of CVD increased in both diabetic and prediabetic individuals, while SII index not. In fact, several studies also found that inconsistencies in the effects of the SII index and the SIRI index on disease [22, 30]. For example, a study shown that higher SIRI, but not SII index was corelated with myocardial infarction among general population, elevated two indicators significantly increased the risk of stroke conversely [22]. Similarly, SIRI was corelated with coronary artery disease, while the SII index not [30]. Our research also confirmed the predictive value of SIRI for disease, which may be higher than the SII index. Different definitions of the SII index and the SIRI may contribute significantly to the different effects on CVD. Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts are included in both two inflammation index definitions, but the SIRI index considers monocyte counts, while the SII index focuses on platelet counts. Atherosclerosis is a kind of chronic inflammation, and Inflammation is involved in the development of CVD. During the occurrence of inflammation, the immune system cells of the body will sense and produce systemic changes, thus activating monocytes in blood circulation and participating in the formation of foam cells and the secretion of cytokines and chemokines. Therefore, the increase of monocyte count plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases [31–33]. Relevant studies have also shown that monocyte count was positively related to the risk of CVD [34]. Moreover, for people with diabetes, studies have shown that monocytes are more likely to accumulate in the diabetic environment (such as insulin deficiency or resistance, abnormal glucose tolerance and repeated fluctuations in blood sugar and possibly long-term hyperglycemia) and reduced efferocytosis, thereby accelerating atherosclerosis [35]. In contrast, studies discovered that platelet count was not directly related to the development of CVD, and that activated platelets may contribute to the development of CVD [36, 37]. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor monocyte count and prevent platelet activation in diabetic and prediabetic populations to delay the development of CVD.
There are some strengths and limitations in our study. We focused on a relatively new population, including diabetes and prediabetes. In addition, we explored two inflammatory indices, SII index and SIRI, and compared the relationship between indices and CVD in detail to explore the dose-response relationship between them. However, it is a cross-sectional study in an observational study, and causation cannot be well explained. We also preliminarily explored the correlation between the inflammation indices and CVD, which is convenient for further development of subsequent cohort studies. Finally, although we adjusted for relevant confounding factors during the study, there may still be some residual confounding.