Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio compared to N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide as a prognostic marker of adverse events in elderly patients with chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (N/L) ratio has been associated with poor prognosis in patients with heart failure, but it has not been compared with N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We sought to make this comparison. METHODS: A total of 1355 elderly patients with CHF were analyzed. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the variables associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). Cox regression analysis was used to assess the multivariable relationship between the N/L ratio, NT-proBNP level, and subsequent major cardiovascular events (MCE). RESULTS: = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: In elderly patients with CHF, the N/L ratio is one of the important risk factors for AF and it is an inexpensive and readily available marker with similar independent prognostic power to NT-proBNP. The risk of MCE increases 1.407-fold when the N/L ratio is elevated to the highest tertile.