A higher monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio is correlated with impaired glomerular function and adverse cardiac remodeling in elderly patients with atrial fibrillation: a retrospective study

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Cardiac remodeling is a non-negligible pathological mechanism for the elevated risk of death in patients with AF. In addition, an elevated systemic inflammatory response is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and increased mortality. However, it remains incompletely understood whether inflammation markers, such as the monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), are associated with adverse cardiac remodeling and clinical biochemical indexes in patients with AF. Therefore, this study investigated the association between MLR and clinical biochemical indexes and cardiac remodeling in elderly patients with AF. Methods In a single medical care center, a total of 1,154 elderly Chinese hospitalized patients (aged ≥ 65 years) with AF were collected retrospectively. The patients were divided into low (≤ 0.293), moderate (> 0.293 to ≤ 0.460), and high (> 0.460) MLR groups according to the MLR tertiles. A regression analysis of MLR (> 0.460) with clinical biochemical indexes and echocardiographic parameters was conducted. Results The results revealed that high MLR (> 0.460) was independently associated with male sex, decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), lower plasma albumin level, cardiac ventricular dilatation, and cardiac dysfunction (all P < 0.05). Conclusion High MLR was linked to male sex, decreased eGFR, lower plasma albumin level, and adverse cardiac remodeling in elderly patients with AF.