Diagnostic Potential of Platelet-Neutrophil Ratio (PNR) for Stroke Risk
in Sickle Cell Anaemia Children Authors and Affiliations:
Abstract
Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) presents a formidable
healthcare challenge, with stroke being a significant complication.
While transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is the gold standard for
stroke risk assessment, its availability is often limited by resource
constraints. This study investigates the platelet-neutrophil ratio (PNR)
as a cost-effective and accessible alternative for stroke risk
assessment in SCD patients. Methods: We conducted a
retrospective study of 144 SCD HbSS children at Children’s National
Hospital, Washington DC, USA. TCD values were categorized as normal,
conditional, or abnormal. PNR was calculated from routine blood tests.
Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the association between
PNR and stroke risk. Results: PNR values varied significantly
across stroke risk categories: 83.83 (58.15-127.65) for normal, 75.69
(64.89-88.6) for conditional, and 62.57 (28.12-64.47) for abnormal (p =
0.031). After adjusting for age and hydroxyurea intake, a unit increase
in PNR was significantly associated with a decreased stroke risk (OR =
0.975, 95% CI: 0.953-0.998, p = 0.0345). PNR demonstrated superior
discriminative performance for stroke risk compared to neutrophils and
platelets, with AUC values of 0.81, 0.57, and 0.19, respectively.
Multivariate analysis confirmed that higher PNR was independently
associated with a reduced likelihood of abnormal TCD values (OR = 0.975,
95% CI: 0.953-0.998, p = 0.0345). Conclusion: Our study
highlights the potential of the platelet-neutrophil ratio (PNR) as a
promising, cost-effective, and accessible alternative for stroke risk
assessment in SCD management, offering a more equitable healthcare
solution.