Abstract
BackgroundThe platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), an indirect inflammatory biomarker, has been recently demonstrated to be associated with severity of coronary artery disease. In the present study, we sought to investigate whether PLR is associated with vulnerable plaque characteristics of non-culprit lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).MethodsThe patients in our study were divided into two groups (high PLR group and low PLR group). A total of 119 non-culprit plaques from 71 patients with ACS were assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT).ResultsThe non-culprit plaques in high PLR group exhibited thinner fibrous cap thickness (FCT) (88.60 ± 44.70 vs. 119.28 ± 50.22 μm, P = 0.001), greater maximum lipid arc (271.73 ± 71.66 vs. 240.60 ± 76.69°, P = 0.027) and increased incidence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) (34.0% vs. 15.9%, P = 0.022) compared with those in low PLR group. Meanwhile, PLR was negatively associated with FCT (r = −0.329, P < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis showed that PLR [OR: 1.023 (95% CI: 1.005–1.041), P = 0.012] and LDL-C [OR: 1.892 (95% CI: 1.106–3.239), P = 0.020] were significant predictors of TCFA.ConclusionsHigh level of PLR may be associated with vulnerable plaque features of non-culprit lesions in patients with ACS. PLR, a cheap and easily available index, may surve as a useful inflammatory marker in reflecting plaque vulnerability.
Highlights
The platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), an indirect inflammatory biomarker, has been recently demonstrated to be associated with severity of coronary artery disease
The prevalence of dyslipidemia was higher in low PLR group (41.7% vs. 20.0%, P = 0.048), whereas the percentage of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blocker usage was lower in low PLR group (19.4% vs. 45.7%, P = 0.018)
Kato et al [25] evaluated the plaque characteristics of non-culprit leisons in patients with and without acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT), the results showed that thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) was more frequent in the non-culprit lesions of ACS patients (64.7% versus 14.9%)
Summary
The platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), an indirect inflammatory biomarker, has been recently demonstrated to be associated with severity of coronary artery disease. We sought to investigate whether PLR is associated with vulnerable plaque characteristics of non-culprit lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). At the instigation of atherogenic diet, endothelial cells became inflamed and proceeded with attracting leukocyte to the nascent atherosclerotic position. As the evolution of atherosclerotic lesions, leukocytes and other vascular wall cells. Platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), initially served as a systemic inflammatory biomarker to predict the prognosis of neoplastic diseases [11,12,13], recently. The severity of coronary artery disease was likewise shown to be associated with PLR [16, 17]. The relationship between PLR and atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability is still unclear
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