Neutrophil-lymphocyte Ratio may be an Early Predictor of the Prognosis in Ischemic Stroke Cases

Objective: Prognostic predictors in the very early period of acute stroke are still needed. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was reported as a useful prognostic indicator for vascular diseases. However, its’ time-related changes are not sufficiently studied. In the present study, we aimed to investigate if the NLR at the first day of hospitalization is associated with some clinical and laboratory findings in patients with ischemic stroke and if they change in the following days.
Materials and Methods: The hospital data of 80 consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients were retrospectively documented and evaluated. NLR values that were calculated twice; on the day of admission and at least five days later, were compared to check if there are any significant changes. Since the study was conducted as a retrospective registry analysis, consent was not obtained from the patients.
Results: NLR ratios were similar in the two follow-up blood samples (p=0.873). In the evaluation according to stroke severity; the NLR cut-off point on the day of admission was 2.86 (sensitivity 88.9%, specificity 72.6%). This cut-off value showed a higher sensitivity and specificity in the cases who did not have an infection during hospital stay (sensitivity 100%, specificity 83%). Age, leukocyte and thrombocyte counts, risk of hospital infection and duration of hospital stay were significantly lower in the cases with NLR <2.9 than those with NLR ≥2.9.
Conclusion: NLR calculated on the first day of admission can be useful and adequate for assessing the severity of stroke, predicting the length of hospital stay and the risk of infection during hospitalization.