Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and ischemic stroke risk in generally healthy adults

Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been reported as a marker for chronic inflammation, associated with poor prognosis in ischemic stroke patients, but there has been no study that investigated its association with ischemic stroke risk. This study was conducted to investigate elevated NLR as an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke incidence. Our retrospective cohort study included 24,708 generally healthy subjects aged 30-75 who received self-referred health screening at Seoul National University Hospital. Data on ischemic stroke incidence was retrieved from national medical claims registry. Median follow-up time was 5.9 years (interquartile range 4.2 years). Adjusted for major cardiovascular risk factors, compared to subjects with NLR