Prognostic impact of monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio in coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational prognostic studies
PubMed 37848392 · doi:10.1177/03000605231204469
What was done
A systematic review and meta-analysis searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science through August 31, 2022, to evaluate the association between the monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and clinical outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Outcomes examined included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), coronary artery disease (CAD) severity, mortality, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) prediction, and other clinical endpoints. Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria.
What was found
The mean MLR was 0.34. A higher MLR was significantly associated with an increased risk of MACE among patients with CHD and was an independent predictor of MACE in patients with ACS. No significant association was found between MLR and CAD severity. Additional predefined endpoints were not meta-analyzed due to insufficient study counts. The abstract did not report numerical effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values.
Why it matters
MLR is a cheap, widely available complete blood count parameter that may help stratify risk and identify high-risk coronary heart disease patients in emergency and clinical settings.
Limits
The abstract does not provide exact pooled effect sizes, confidence intervals, or total participant sample size. Primary studies were observational, which carries inherent risks of confounding, and insufficient studies were available to evaluate mortality or other secondary cardiovascular endpoints.
Cited by
- supports A low lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio on a standard complete blood count is associated with worse clinical outcomes across cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.