Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Inflammation is one of the pathophysiological processes involved in the genesis and progression of atherosclerosis and has been increasingly used as a therapeutic target in recent years. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a promptly accessible inflammatory biomarker strongly associated with prognosis in the acute coronary setting. However, there are few data in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS).
Objective: Analyze the association between NLR and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CCS.
Methods: Patients with CCS, defined as a previous revascularization procedure (surgical or percutaneous), previous myocardial infarction (MI) or stenosis > 50% in at least one epicardial coronary artery, were included and followed up on an outpatient basis. The NLR was calculated using the baseline blood count. The main outcome was the composite of death, non-fatal myocardial infarction and non-fatal stroke.
Results: The study population consisted of 975 patients, with a median age of 65 years and 30% were women. Previous MI was present in 61%, 30% had undergone previous revascularization surgery and 46% had percutaneous coronary intervention. Diabetes was prevalent in 59% and hypertension in 95%. The median NLR was 2.15 (IQR 1.25 - 2.87). Patients with NLR ≥ 2.15, when compared to those with NLR < 2.15, presented more left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (58% vs. 55%; p=0.003) and lower LDL-C serum levels (81 vs. 88 mg/dL; p=0.004). There was no association between NLR and coronary anatomical severity. NLR correlated with age, LDL-C and LV function (p < 0.05 for all). During follow-up, 152 events of the composite primary outcome were registered, with an estimated 3-year incidence of 15.6% in the overall population – higher within patients with NLR ≥ 2.15 when compared to NLR < 2.15 (20% x 14%, p = 0.002), as shown in the figure. In the multivariate analysis, the 3rd quartile of NLR had a 31% higher risk than the 1st quartile (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: In this study, the NLR, an easily available inflammatory biomarker, independently correlates with cardiovascular outcomes in a population with CCS.