Efficacy of novel haemogram parameters in the evaluation of inflammation in acute ischemic stroke

Objective: Inflammation in ischemic brain tissue is the primary factor contributing to the pathogenesis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to investigate the role of new inflammatory parameters-immature granulocyte count (IGc) and the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII)-in determining the presence of inflammation and the subtype, severity, and prognosis of AIS. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using data from 124 patients with AIS and 126 healthy controls. The severity at stroke onset and the functional outcome after at least 3 months of followup were determined. Patients with AIS were subdivided into subgroups according to aetiology. The following haemogram parameters were compared between the AIS and control groups: haemogram volume (MPV), platelet count (PLT), PCT (plateletcrit), lymphocyte and neutrophil count, RDW-CV (red cell distribution width coefficient of variation), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), MPV/PLT ratio, PLT/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), WBC/MPV ratio (WMR), IGc and IG percentage (IG%), and SII values. Results: The parameters WBC, IGc, IG%, RDWCV, neutrophil count, NLR, WMR, and SII values were significantly higher in the AIS group than in the control group. We found significant correlations between high SII value and high clinical NIHSS scores at stroke onset, mRS obtained after at least a 3-month follow-up period. Conclusion: IGc and SII may be new parameters to evaluate the presence of inflammation in patients with AIS. A higher SII was associated with higher stroke severity, and it may be useful for predicting adverse clinical outcomes.