The following is a summary of “Associations of Inflammatory Markers With Neurological Dysfunction and Prognosis in Patients With Progressive Stroke,” published in the February 2025 issue of European Journal of Neurology by Wang et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore the associations between inflammatory markers and early neurological dysfunction in progressive stroke (PS) and evaluate their predictive value for PS prognosis. 

They included 711 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS), with 210 patients having PS and 501 without PS. About 6 inflammatory markers—neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), and pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV)—were measured and compared between the groups. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between inflammatory markers and early neurological dysfunction in patients with PS. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses identified prognostic factors for PS.  Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated the predictive value for PS prognosis. 

The results showed elevated levels of NLR, LMR, SII, and PIV in patients with PS. Correlation analysis revealed positive correlations between NLR, PLR, SII, SIRI, PIV, and early neurological deficits, while LMR showed a negative correlation. Multivariate analysis identified LMR and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS) as independent risk factors for poor PS outcomes. LMR alone had limited predictive value (AUC = 0.59) but combining it with NIHSS improved accuracy (AUC = 0.73, P < 0.05). 

Investigators suggested that LMR and its combination with NIHSS improve PS management and outcome prediction. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ene.70080