Correlation between novel inflammatory markers and carotid atherosclerosis: A retrospective case-control study

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Inflammatory Diseases
• Stroke Prevention

Background:

• Carotid atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory condition and a primary cause of ischemic stroke.
• Novel inflammatory markers offer potential for better risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and several novel inflammatory markers.
• To identify the most effective inflammatory marker for predicting carotid atherosclerosis.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 10,015 patients' data (2016-2019), with 1910 diagnosed with carotid atherosclerosis.
• Logistic regression and ROC curve analysis were used to assess marker correlation and predictive value.

Main Results:

• Platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet to neutrophil ratio (PNR) were lower in patients with carotid atherosclerosis.
• Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil to lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) were higher.
• NLPR demonstrated the highest predictive value (AUC=0.67) for carotid atherosclerosis.

Conclusions:

• Novel inflammatory markers are significantly associated with carotid atherosclerosis.
• The neutrophil to lymphocyte platelet ratio (NLPR) is the optimal marker for predicting carotid atherosclerosis risk.