Relationship of Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio With the Presence, Severity, and Extent of Coronary Atherosclerosis Detected by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

Abstract

We evaluated whether the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was associated with the presence, severity, and extent of coronary atherosclerotic plaques detected by computed tomography angiography (CTA). We studied 238 patients who underwent dual-source 64-slice CTA for the assessment of coronary artery disease. Coronary arteries were evaluated on 16-segment basis and critical plaque was described as luminal narrowing >50%. In regression analysis, being in the third NLR tertile increased the risk of coronary atherosclerosis (odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-4.43; P = .023). When the severity of coronary atherosclerosis was assessed, being in the third NLR tertile increased the risk of critical luminal stenosis (OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.19-5.69; P = .017). Although plaque morphology was not associated with NLR, the extent of coronary atherosclerosis was increased with higher NLR tertiles (P = .001). Our results suggest that a higher NLR may be a useful additional measure to assess cardiovascular risk in clinical practice.