Peripheral immunity changes are associated with neurodegeneration and worse clinical outcome in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus

Background and purpose: Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) pathogenesis is multifactorial. Systemic inflammation might have a role in gathering clinical-pathological trajectories. We aimed to shape the peripheral immune profile of iNPH and establish correlations with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers, ventricular enlargement, and clinical outcomes.Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective-longitudinal study, including 38 iNPH patients and 38 controls. Baseline iNPH Grading Scale and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were collected with peripheral blood cell count, CSF amyloid-beta 42 (A beta 42), total tau (t-tau), phosphorylated-181-tau, and Evans index. Depending on 5-year outcome, iNPH patients were grouped into "poor outcome" (PO; mRS >= 5) and "favorable outcome" (FO; mRS < 5). Biomarkers were compared and correlated with each other. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed.Results: iNPH patients compared to controls had higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR; 2.43 +/- 1.04 vs. 1.61 +/- 0.47, p < 0.001), higher neutrophils (4.22 +/- 0.86 1000/mL vs. 3.48 +/- 1.34, p = 0.033), and lower lymphocytes (1.45 +/- 0.55 1000/mL vs. 2.07 +/- 0.86, p = 0.038), with the expected CSF biomarkers signature. In the patients' cohort, NLR was associated directly with t-tau and inversely with A beta 42. NLR directly correlated with Evans index. PO patients compared to those with FO had higher NLR (3.25 +/- 1.40 vs. 2.01 +/- 0.77, p = 0.035) and higher t-tau (274.76 +/- 114.39 pg/mL vs. 150.28 +/- 72.62, p = 0.017), with an area under the curve of 0.786 and 0.793, respectively.Conclusions: iNPH patients present a proinflammatory state associated with neurodegeneration and predicting poor clinical outcome. Systemic inflammation represents a factor in the clinical-pathological progression of iNPH, and the NLR emerges as a potential prognostic index.