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.