Objective: To investigate the relationship between neutrophil ratio/blood glucose and short outcome among patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to hospitals.
Methods: A total of 2 265 acute ischemic stroke patients in four hospitals in Shandong province were included in this study. Through access to patients' files, data on demographic, lifestyle, medical history, family history and laboratory findings were collected from all participants at admission. Endpoint of the study was defined as poor short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction (NIHSS ≥ 5) at discharge or death during hospitalization. Subjects of this study were divided into four groups: normal neutrophil ratio with normal blood glucose (NN/NG); normal neutrophil ratio with high blood glucose (NN/IG); high neutrophil ratio with normal blood glucose (IN/NG) and high neutrophil ratio with high blood glucose (IN/IG). Non-conditional logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between blood glucose/neutrophil ratio and the short outcome of acute ischemic stroke.
Results: Neutrophil ratio and the level of blood glucose in patients with study endpoints were both higher than those without the study endpoints, and the difference was statistically significant (all P < 0.05). After multivariate adjustment, when compared to NN/NG group, the ORs (95% CI) of NN/IG, IN/NG and IN/IG group were 1.356 (0.942-1.953), 1.879 (1.113-3.171) and 2.210 (1.477-3.307), respectively.
Conclusion: Neutrophil ratio at admission was an independent risk factor of poor short outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. IN/IG group was considered at a highest risk in general population. Neutrophil ratio/glucose was valuable in predicting the incidence of poor short outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients.