Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictive marker for acute coronary syndrome

Introduction: Measurement of a simple inflammatory marker like neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could improve the risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), especially in a limited resource country like ours. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the predictive value of NLR in determining ACS. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted. A total of 101 patients suffering from angina/angina equivalents with electrocardiography (ECG) changes or typical elevation of cardiac enzymes (troponin T/creatinine phosphokinase-MB [CPK-MB]) who present to the hospital within 12 h of the onset of symptoms were selected and analyzed for the study. Results: The study found that NLR significantly correlated with CPK-MB and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Conclusion: It was found that NLR showed significant correlations with CPK-MB and LVEF, indicating its usefulness as a predictive factor for the severity of ACS. NLR was also not affected by the type of ACS or other comorbidities/risk factors of diabetes and hypertension, indicating its role as an independent prognostic factor in ACS.