Objective:

Through a meta-analysis, we sought to investigate the prognostic importance of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Background:

Hematological parameters, such as the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), have been linked to the prognosis number of cancers and heart conditions. Whether LMR is associated with the prognosis of strokes, however, is still unknown.

Design/Methods:

The odds ratios (ORs) of multivariate analysis for functional outcome after AIS patients in association with LMR were obtained by searching pertinent literature in the PubMed, EMbase, Science Direct, and OVID databases from inception to March 2024. Functional outcome or prognosis was assessed by modified Rankin Scale(mRS) with mRS≥3 being poor functional outcome at 3 months. Results were then combined using a fixed or random effect model as per heterogeneity among the included studies. Using RevMan 5.4 software, the generic inverse variance was chosen, and log (OR) and SE (log (OR)) were entered to do functional outcome analysis. The Q test was used to examine heterogeneity. For statistical significance, a p-value of less than 0.05 was used.

Results:

Four qualifying publications totaling 1779 AIS cases were included in the total. The pooled results showed that elevated LMR was a significant indicator of favorable functional outcome at 3 months in AIS patients treated with or without thrombolysis (OR= 0.65, 95% CI = 0.45–0.94, p=0.02, I² = 91%)

Conclusions:

In conclusion, LMR strongly correlated with favorable outcome in AIS patients based on the meta-analysis. LMR might be suggested as a low-cost prognostic biomarker in AIS.