The Relation Between Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Etiologic Subtypes in Acute Ischaemic Stroke

Abstract

Introduction: The role of leukocytes in tissue damage in acute ischaemic stroke is well-known. There are some studies exam- ining the relationship between etiologic subtypes of acute ischaemic stroke and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR). In this study, we planned to investigate the relationship between NLR and etiologic subtypes of acute ischaemic stroke. Methods: In this study, acute ischaemic stroke patients who were admitted to our hospital in the first 24 hours were in- cluded. Etiologic classification of patients was done by TOAST classification system. Patients who had history of acute coro- nary syndrome and pulmonary emboli were excluded. Results: We included 467 acute ischemic stroke patients and 162 control patients. Of the patients, 239 were females (51%) and 228 were males (49%). Of the control group, 77 (47%) were females and 85 (53%) were males. Mean ages in patient and control groups were 69.41±14.4 and 67.35±19.41, respectively. NLR’s in acute stroke and control groups were 3.38±3.43 and 2.12±1.11, respectively, and this difference was found to be statistically significant (p=0.001). NLR’S in atherothrombotic and cardioembolic groups were 3.26±2.35 and 4.46±5.6, respectively, and this was found to be statistically significant (p=0.03). Discussion and Conclusion: High NLR was found to be related with cardioembolic etiology in acute ischaemic stroke. We think that more detailed investigation for cardioembolic sources may be necessary in patients with high NLR at first admission.