Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio In Stroke Patients And Its Relation With Functional Recovery

Abstract

Aim: Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is considered to be a parameter that reflects the negative consequences of both neutrophil elevation as a marker of acute inflammatory response and lymphocyte depression as a marker of physiological stress. The present study aims to investigate the changes of NLR in stroke sub-groups and their relation to the functional recovery. Methods: A total number of 418 subjects participated in the present research including 294 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke, 35 patients who experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA), 19 patients with hemorrhagic stroke and 70 control subjects. NLRs of all subjects were calculated and their Rankin scores at discharge were recorded. Results: NLR was found to be significantly elevated in stroke patients compared to the control subjects (p<0.01). When the subgroups were compared to the control subjects, the findings indicated significantly higher NLR in all subgroups (p<0.01). Comparisons between stroke subgroups showed that the NLR in the subgroup with hemorrhagic stroke was significantly higher than that estimated for all ischemic stroke subgroups. NLR was also significantly higher in patients with atherosclerotic and embolic ischemic stroke, compared to patients with lacunar stroke or TIA (p<0.01). Correlation analysis demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation between Rankin scores and NLR (p<0.001, r=0.237). Conclusion: The findings suggest that NLR elevated in all types of stroke and its correlation with clinical disability scores underline the significance of the measures and future strategies with an aim to decrease or even to prevent inflammation to reduce brain damage.