Objective: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a group of symptoms for acute myocardial ischemia. The RDW (red cell distribution width), recently described as a novel risk marker, has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and routinely reported as part of the complete blood count. We assessed the relationship of hematologic parameters (RDW and NLR) with cardiac markers (Troponin I (TnI), CK-MB) in patients admitted with ACS.

Material and Methods: In this study, 228 patients with acute coronary syndrome were retrospectively evaluated. For all patients, a baseline blood sample was collected for routine hematological testing. The patients were diagnosed as Non ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or unstable angina (USAP) based on the elevation of cardiac TnI levels in the first and sixth hours of admission. SPSS version 15.0 program was used for statistical analysis.

Results: There was no difference in the levels of RDW in NSTEMI and USAP groups (p=0.154). In the ACS subtypes groups, NLR showed a negative correlation with EF (p<0.001) and significant positive correlation with the first hour levels of CK-MB and TnI (p<0.001). It was also found that NLR showed positive correlation with STEMI groups (p<0.001).

Conclusion: It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between RDW and ACS subtypes. Finding NLR levels being significantly high in STEMI group of ACS patients revealed out that NLR can be a useful marker in ACS. We suggest that these findings should be evaluated and supported with prospective studies.