Evidence mapPaperPMID 40946129Full record

ArticleBMC psychiatry2025

Higher PHQ-9 score levels and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio are associated with increased risks of stroke, all-cause mortality, and MACE in NHANES 2005-2018.

Junqi Liao, Aimei Zhang, Yujun Cong, Wanhui Peng, Xiaogang Tang, Qing Zhu, Li Li, Yunze Li, Yan Liu, Hui Jiang and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Junqi Liao *Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Aimei Zhang *Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Yujun CongDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Wanhui PengDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Xiaogang TangDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Qing ZhuDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Li LiDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Yunze LiDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Yan LiuDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Hui JiangDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Jingyi ChenDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Yang HanDepartment of Neurology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Zhaoyao ChenDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Wenlei LiDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Yuan ZhuDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
Hongquan LiuDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210028, People's Republic of China. njliuhq@126.com.
Minghua WuDepartment of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 155 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China. yfy0069@njucm.edu.cn.

Funding

Jiangsu Province Administration of Chinese Medicine ZT202102National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant No. 82274428The Key Medical Research Projects of Jiangsu Provincial Health Commission K2023009
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe association of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and depressive symptoms with stroke risk, mortality, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) is currently unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and depressive symptoms on stroke risk, mortality, and MACE in NHANES 2005-2018.

methodsThe National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics between 2005 and 2018, recruiting a nationally representative sample of participants aged 20 years and older. The NLR reflects inflammatory status and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) indicates depressive symptoms. Independent and joint associations between NLR, depressive symptoms, and stroke and mortality were then examined, and relative risk was calculated using weight-based Cox regression analyses. Finally, mediation analysis was used to explore the indirect impact of the PHQ-9 score on stroke and mortality mediated through NLR.

resultsNLR and depressive symptoms were positively associated with stroke risk (p < 0.05). Participants with higher NLR levels had an increased risk of all-cause mortality and MACE (HR, 1.406; 95% CI 1.261-1.567; HR, 1.927; 95% CI 1.518-2.447), while those with higher PHQ-9 score were associated with an elevated risk of all-cause mortality and MACE (HR, 1.762; 95% CI 1.516-2.047; HR, 1.755; 95% CI 1.396-2.206). In addition, joint analyses indicated that participants with PHQ-9 score ≥ 10 and high NLR levels had the highest risk of all-cause mortality and MACE (HR, 2.079; 95% CI 1.673-2.585; HR, 2.858, 95% CI 2.007-4.069). Specifically, participants with elevated NLR levels and moderate-severe depressive symptoms faced the greatest risk of mortality. Mediation analyses revealed that NLR partially mediated the association between PHQ-9 score and stroke risk, all-cause mortality, and MACE by0.6%, 5.9%, and 4.8%, respectively.

conclusionOur research indicates that elevated NLR levels and more severe depressive symptoms were associated with increased risk of stroke, all-cause mortality and MACE. In addition, NLR plays a mediation role in linking depressive symptoms to stroke, MACE, and all-cause mortality.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesDepressionLymphocytesNeutrophilsStrokeAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNutrition SurveysPatient Health QuestionnaireRisk FactorsUnited StatesDepressive symptomsMajor adverse cardiovascular eventsMortalityNeutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratioStroke

Identifiers

PMID40946129
PMCPMC12433597

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.