Echocardiographic Epicardial Fat Thickness and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Are Novel Inflammatory Predictors of Cerebral Ischemic Stroke

Background The role of epicardial fat thickness (EFT) in ischemic stroke (IS) has not been previously investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate EFT and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) among patients with IS and to examine the relationship between these inflammatory markers and the incidence of IS. Methods The cross-sectional design includes 38 patients with IS and 47 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Echocardiographic measurement of EFT was conducted according to previously published methods. An automated hematology analyzer was used to generate total and differential leukocyte counts from patient blood samples. Results Mean EFT was 4.86 ± .68 mm in the control group and 5.95 ± 1.14 mm in the IS group. EFT was significantly greater in the IS patients in relation to the control group ( P