Eosinophil counts predict 3-year risk of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in carotid artery stenosis patients

Eosinophils are a part of the human immune system and have traditionally been thought to be associated with allergic reactions. Recent research has revealed their potentially important role in cardiovascular disease. We retrospectively collected data on 1155 patients who were diagnosed with carotid artery stenosis at our center from January 2016 to June 2021. These data included demographic information, laboratory measurements, and carotid ultrasounds. We constructed predictive models through binary logistic regression. A total of 1,155 patients were ultimately included in this study, among whom 157 experienced major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) within a three-year follow-up period. Multifactorial adjustment showed that previous operation history (OR 1.66[1.14-2.41], P = 0.008), previous history of stroke (OR 1.59[1.10-2.31], P = 0.014), total proteins (OR 0.97[0.95-0.99], P = 0.02), erythrocyte sedimentation rate(OR 1.01[1.01-1.02], P = 0.031), eosinophil counts(OR 4.62[1.60-13.35], P = 0.005) and treated with calcium channel blockers(CCBs) + beta-blockers(BBs) (OR 3.08[2.04-4.63], P < 0.001) were independently associated with 3-year MACCE. Based on these key factors, the prediction model we constructed demonstrated satisfactory prediction performance, with an initial value of 0.739 for the area under the curve, which was stabilised at 0.721 after adjustment. After a dichotomous analysis of eosinophils based on cut-off values, we assessed their role in different outcomes. The results of the analysis showed that eosinophil counts was a significant risk factor for all the outcomes considered. Patients with carotid artery stenosis exhibiting a baseline eosinophil counts of 0.185*109/L had a higher incidence of MACCE. Furthermore, a previous 3-year operation history, previous history of stroke, total proteins, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and treated with a combination of CCBs and BBs were also significantly associated with the occurrence of MACCE.