The predicting function of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio on acute cerebral infarction

Jiang-Yun Liu, Hong-Quan Liu, Xue-Neng Guan, Yu Wang, Xing-Xing Hu#

Affiliated hospital of integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210028, China

Objective: Coronary atherosclerosis was one of the major causes of acute cerebral infarction (ACI), and studies have found that the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis and inflammatory reaction were closely related. Also, studies have been found that the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in early peripheral blood is closely related to the occurrence and prognosis of various cardiovascular diseases, which can be used as a new inflammation index. 

Methods: The routine laboratory hematology tests, including white blood count (WBC), neutrophil, lymphocyte, and NLR, of 78 ACI patients and 63 healthy individuals, as well as the clinical outcomes at discharges were retrospectively analyzed. Factors with statistical significance were analyzed by logistic regression analysis (P<0.05 indicates statistical significance) and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were plotted.

Results: The incidence of hypertension and diabetes, number of WBC, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, NLR were significantly different in 2 groups (P<0.05). Multi-factors Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR was an independent risk factor for ACI. The area under the curve of WBC, absolute neutrophils, lymphocytes, and NLR for predicting ACI was 0.764, 0.856, 0.298 and 0.869. The optimal cut-off value of NLR was 2.66, with a specificity of 9.5% and a sensitivity of 74.4% for predicting ACI. 

Results: The incidence of hypertension and diabetes, number of WBC, neutrophils, and lymphocytes, NLR were significantly different in 2 groups (P<0.05). Multi-factors Logistic regression analysis showed that NLR was an independent risk factor for ACI. The area under the curve of WBC, absolute neutrophils, lymphocytes, and NLR for predicting ACI was 0.764, 0.856, 0.298 and 0.869. The optimal cut-off value of NLR was 2.66, with a specificity of 9.5% and a sensitivity of 74.4% for predicting ACI. 

Conclusion: Eearly peripheral NLR (blood routine examination within the onset of 72h ) plays a role in predicting ACI.