Evaluation of the value of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting the severity of coronary artery disease

The role of platelet and leukocyte counts in the growth and progression of heart events is quite evident. In recent years, the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been very important in assessing and predicting adverse cardiovascular complications. This study aimed to investigate the role of PLR in predicting the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD).

In this retrospective study, 816 patients suspected of coronary artery disease who referred to a large heart center in Tehran during 2018-2019 and underwent angiography was reviewed. Information extracted from patients' records included demographic variables, cardiovascular risk profiles, and laboratory findings (such as PLR). Also, the number of involved vessels (single-vessel and multi-vessel) was considered as the severity of coronary artery disease. Finally, the collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 23 using ROC test to determine the accuracy of PLR in predicting CAD intensity.

The results of ROC test showed that PLR is valuable in predicting the severity of coronary artery disease (single-vessel and multi-vessel involvement (two and three vessels)) (AUC = 0.793) and the best cut-off point with sensitivity 96.7% and 80% specificity of 176 were obtained.

The results showed that high PLR is a strong predictor of severe CAD.