Immunity
Platelet / Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR)
What This Marker Tells Us
Compares platelets, which respond to inflammation and tissue damage, to lymphocytes, revealing inflammatory burden and immune system activation related to thrombosis and cancer risk.
Why It Matters
Predicts cardiovascular events, cancer progression, and mortality across diverse diseases. Elevated platelets indicate chronic inflammation and increased thrombotic risk, while reduced lymphocytes suggest immune exhaustion. High PLR appears in inflammatory diseases, cancers, and metabolic syndrome. It provides complementary information to NLR, capturing different aspects of inflammation; PLR emphasizes thromboinflammation while NLR captures innate versus adaptive immunity balance.
How to Interpret Your Trends
Low PLR may suggest bone marrow issues or robust lymphocyte populations. Typical PLR (below 180) indicates balanced inflammatory response and thrombotic risk. Elevated PLR (180-250) suggests increased inflammation and thrombosis risk. High PLR (above 250) signals significant inflammatory burden with immune exhaustion, substantially increasing cardiovascular and cancer risk.
What Influences This Marker
Chronic inflammation from any cause elevates platelets and suppresses lymphocytes, raising PLR. Iron deficiency increases platelet production. Acute illness, surgery, and trauma temporarily elevate PLR. Metabolic syndrome, smoking, and poor lifestyle habits chronically raise PLR. Anti-inflammatory interventions, treating underlying disease, and lifestyle optimization normalize the ratio.
How Your Team Uses It
Your coach uses PLR to assess thromboinflammatory burden and cancer-related inflammation. Elevated ratios prompt comprehensive inflammation reduction strategies and cardiovascular risk management. It complements NLR for complete immune-inflammatory assessment. Persistently high values warrant medical evaluation for underlying disease.
Related Signals We Also Review
Platelet count, absolute lymphocytes, NLR, CRP, complete blood count, iron studies, and cardiovascular risk markers complete the thromboinflammatory assessment.