Title : Platelet Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR) as a predictor of in-hospital outcomes among Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) patients in a tertiary hospital
Abstract:
Introduction: Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) is a medical emergency that affects people globally. In the Philippines, it remains as the third leading cause of mortality due to delays in its identification and lack of prognostic materials. This study aims to determine the use of platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) - a simple, economical, and safe tool - as a predictor of in-hospital outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted among AIS patients at the Remedios Trinidad Romualdez Hospital (RTRH) Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines from January 2020 to December 2022. Clinical demographics, laboratory profile, and hospital outcomes were described. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test and T-test were utilized to determine the association between PLR and in-hospital outcomes.
Results and Conclusion: There were 76 patients enrolled in the study, the majority were females (57.9%), and hypertensive (84.2%), with a mean age of 67 years. Risk factors that are pivotal to the development of AIS were also identified namely smoking and a significant family history. To note, half of the population presented with unilateral body weakness. Moreover, only 7.9% died due to the disease. Higher PLR levels resulted from an increased platelet count and a decreased lymphocyte count. However, no significant association between PLR levels and AIS outcomes was noted, hence the need for further investigation of these parameters.
Keywords: Acute Ischemic Stroke, Platelet-lymphocyte ratio, In-hospital outcomes
