Abstract:To assess the predictive value of neutrophils-lymphocytes ratio (NLR) in the stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Methods The clinical data for 118 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage who were treated in our ICU from Jannary 2015 to November 2016 were retrospectively extracted. All of them were between 50 and 80 years old, and their ICU lengths of stay were at least 7 days. Based on the occurrence of SAP in the first 7 days of admission, these patients were divided into SAP group and non-SAP group. The clinical information were analysed, as well as the correlation of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ) score with NLR and white blood cell (WBC). The characteristics of NLR score and WBC score on the first, the third, the fifth days were compared,and the significant changes of them across groups were observed. The prognostic value of WBC and NLR at each time points in SAP were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve). Results The APACHE Ⅱscore was significantly positively related to the level of NLR 3 d (r = 0.360,p = 0.000); 5 d (r =0.390,p = 0.000) and WBC 3 d (r = 0.220,p = 0.015); 5 d (r = 0.200, P = 0.031) at third and fifth days. The NLR levels on the first day, the fifth day, the fifth day after admission in SAP group were (10.89 ±3.05);(12.42 ±3.75); (9.28 ±3.31) respectively, and the NLR on the third day was the highest. The WBC and NLR levels in SAP group were significantly higher than those in non-SAP group after the treatment for 3 days at the same time point (p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of NLR and WBC on the third day and on the fifth day for SAP prediction were greater than that on the first day (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in prediction value of SAP between two time points. The NLR (AUC: 3 d 0.943; 5 d 0.924) were superior to WBC (AUC: 3 d 0.823; 5 d 0.809) for predicting SAP. The combination of NLR and WBC could not increase the AUC. Conclusion NLR score on the third, the fifth day is a certain indicator for predicting SAP in clinical practice.