The early predictive value of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio to hemorrhagic transformation of young acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

Background The increasing incidence of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the related factors. Hemorrhagic transformation (HT), a severe complication of AIS, is influenced by platelet-induced inflammation and lymphocyte levels. Objective To measure the predictive value of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the occurrence of HT in young AIS patients. Methods Data of young AIS patients (n = 157) admitted to the hospital for the first time were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into HT (63 patients) and non-HT groups (94 patients) on the basis of whether HT had occurred after admission. The National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) score was used to determine the severity of clinical symptoms. The relationship between PLR and HT and NIHSS scores was analyzed to evaluate the predictive value of PLR in the occurrence of HT using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC). Results Multivariate analysis showed that PLR and NIHSS are independent risk factors of HT. The PLR value of the observation group was positively associated with the NIHSS score (r = 0.8075, P < 0.0001). According to the PLR prediction about the occurrence of HT, an AUC of 0.713 (95% CI, 0.652–0.781), a cut-off value of 109.073, and a sensitivity and specificity of 0.806 and 0.674, respectively, were obtained. Conclusions PLR value can predict the possibility of HT in young AIS patients to a certain extent. To take effective measures to prevent HT in advance has crucial clinical significance according to PLR value.