NEUTROPHIL-TO-LYMPHOCYTE RATIO AS A POTENTIAL PREDICTOR OF IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY AMONG ISCHEMIC STROKE PATIENTS: A...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Inflammation research
• Biomarker discovery

Background:

• Ischemic stroke is a leading global cause of death and disability.
• Systemic inflammation plays a crucial role in stroke pathophysiology and prognosis.
• The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a potential accessible biomarker for stroke assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between admission NLR and stroke severity.
• To determine the relationship between NLR and the probability of death in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 241 patients with confirmed ischemic stroke.
• Neurological status assessed using NIHSS, mRS, and GCS.
• NLR calculated from admission blood tests; multivariable logistic regression used for mortality analysis.

Main Results:

• Higher NLR at admission was significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality (p<0.001).
• Elevated NLR correlated with greater stroke severity and poorer functional outcomes (higher NIHSS and mRS scores).
• In multivariable analysis, NLR did not reach statistical significance as an independent predictor of mortality (p=0.142).

Conclusions:

• Elevated NLR is linked to more severe neurological deficits and worse outcomes in unadjusted analyses.
• NLR shows potential as a simple, cost-effective biomarker for early risk stratification in acute ischemic stroke.
• Further large-scale, multicenter studies are required to confirm the prognostic value of NLR.