Qingmiao Shao1, Kangyin Chen1, Seung-Woon Rha2, Hong-Euy Lim2, Guangping Li3, Tong Liu1. 1. Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ionic-Molecular Function of Cardiovascular Disease, Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. 2. Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. 3. Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ionic-Molecular Function of Cardiovascular Disease, Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: gp_limail@aliyun.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Current evidence suggests that a high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), but this association is still uncertain. The aim of the comprehensive meta-analysis was to evaluate the potential association between NLR and the risk of AF. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search using electronic databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase, Cochrane Database and Web of Science) to identify the studies reporting the association between NLR and risk of AF. We searched the literature published January 2015 or earlier. We used both fixed-effects and random-effects models to calculate the overall effect estimate. An I(2) > 50% indicates at least moderate statistical heterogeneity. A sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to find the origin of heterogeneity. RESULTS: We retrieved 11 studies involving a total of 2,766 participants. The combined odds ratio (OR) of incident AF for baseline NLR level was 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.35) with significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 82.7%, p < 0.01) and for the post-NLR level (following CABG, RFCA and cardioversion) was 1.518 (95% CI 1.076-2.142) with significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 93.7%, p = 0.017). We also showed an association between AF recurrence following CABG, RFCA and cardioversion and baseline NLR level (OR 1.517, 95% CI 1.108-2.079) with significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 86.8%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our comprehensive meta-analysis suggests that the high level of NLR, whether baseline or postsurgery/procedure, is associated with the increased risk of AF recurrence/occurrence.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Current evidence suggests that a high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), but this association is still uncertain. The aim of the comprehensive meta-analysis was to evaluate the potential association between NLR and the risk of AF. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search using electronic databases (PubMed, Ovid, Embase, Cochrane Database and Web of Science) to identify the studies reporting the association between NLR and risk of AF. We searched the literature published January 2015 or earlier. We used both fixed-effects and random-effects models to calculate the overall effect estimate. An I(2) > 50% indicates at least moderate statistical heterogeneity. A sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to find the origin of heterogeneity. RESULTS: We retrieved 11 studies involving a total of 2,766 participants. The combined odds ratio (OR) of incident AF for baseline NLR level was 1.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16-1.35) with significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 82.7%, p < 0.01) and for the post-NLR level (following CABG, RFCA and cardioversion) was 1.518 (95% CI 1.076-2.142) with significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 93.7%, p = 0.017). We also showed an association between AF recurrence following CABG, RFCA and cardioversion and baseline NLR level (OR 1.517, 95% CI 1.108-2.079) with significant heterogeneity across studies (I(2) = 86.8%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our comprehensive meta-analysis suggests that the high level of NLR, whether baseline or postsurgery/procedure, is associated with the increased risk of AF recurrence/occurrence.
Authors: Juan Ignacio Damonte; Marco Giuseppe Del Buono; Georgia K Thomas; James Mbualungu; Bennett Clark; Rocco Antonio Montone; Daniel H Berrocal; Tamas S Gal; Le Kang; Juan Lu; Benjamin Van Tassell; Jayanthi Koneru; Thomas C Crawford; Kenneth A Ellenbogen; Antonio Abbate; Jordana Kron Journal: Am J Cardiol Date: 2022-03-30 Impact factor: 3.133