Title:Blood Cell Count Indexes of Systemic Inflammation in Carotid Artery Disease: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives
Volume: 27
Issue: 18
Author(s): Paola Dettori, Panagiotis Paliogiannis*, Rosa M. Pascale, Angelo Zinellu, Arduino A. Mangoni and Gianfranco Pintus
Affiliation:
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Experimental Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari,Italy
Keywords:
Carotid artery disease, atherosclerosis, NLR, PLR, MLR, RDW, MPV.
Abstract: Carotid artery disease is commonly encountered in clinical practice and accounts for approximately
30% of ischemic strokes in the general population. Numerous biomarkers have been investigated as predictors
of the onset and progression of carotid disease, the occurrence of cerebrovascular complications, and overall
prognosis. Among them, blood cell count (BCC) indexes of systemic inflammation might be particularly useful,
from a pathophysiological and clinical point of view, given the inflammatory nature of the atherosclerotic process.
The aim of this review is to discuss the available evidence regarding the role of common BCC indexes,
such as the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet to lymphocyte
ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and red cell distribution width
(RDW), in the diagnosis and risk stratification of carotid artery disease, and their potential clinical applications.