Key result
Highest WBC quartile linked to ~99% higher odds of carotid plaque in healthy Chinese men.
Why the study?
White blood cells have established inflammatory and immunologic functions and may contribute to the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis.
Are higher total white blood cell, neutrophil, and monocyte counts associated with the presence and severity of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in healthy adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=3,569)
No
Are higher total white blood cell, neutrophil, and monocyte counts associated with the presence and severity of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in healthy adults?
Elevated total WBC, neutrophil, and monocyte counts are independently associated with the presence and severity of carotid atherosclerotic plaques in healthy Chinese men.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Elevated WBC count may flag carotid plaque risk in healthy men; hypothesis-generating and requires longitudinal studies before any clinical role.
Background: White blood cells have established inflammatory and immunologic function, and may contribute to the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 3,569 healthy Chinese adults was conducted between Jan 2016 and Dec 2018 in Zhengzhou, China. Fasting peripheral venous blood was collected for analyze of the total white blood cell (WBC) count and WBC subtypes. The size, composition and types of carotid atherosclerotic plaques (CAPs) in the common carotid artery, the internal carotid artery, and the external carotid artery were measured bilaterally using B-mode ultrasound. Results: After adjustting for potential confounding factors, total WBC, neutrophils and monocytes count showed significant associations with the presence of CAPs in men but not in women, with the odds ratios (95% CI) in the highest (versus the lowest) quartile 1.99 (1.33-2.97), 1.65 (1.10-2.47), and 2.17 (1.41-3.18) (P-trend = 0.004, P-trend = 0.004 and P-trend < 0.001) respectively. The three leukocyte counts were also significantly positively associated with the severity of carotid atherosclerosis, as judged by the sum of CAPs, the maximal internal carotid plaque thickness and plaque score (all P < 0.01, P-trend < 0.05). Compared with individuals without CAPs, those with echolucent plaques had significantly increased total WBC and neutrophil counts, whereas those with polytype plaques had a significantly increased monocyte count. Conclusion: WBC, neutrophils and monocytes count were significantly associated with the presence, severity and types of CAPs in a healthy Chinese population.
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Liu et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque (n=3,569). Total white blood cell count vs. Lowest quartile of total white blood cell count was evaluated on Presence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque in men (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.33-2.97, p=0.004). In healthy Chinese men, the highest quartile of total white blood cell count was significantly associated with the presence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque compared to the lowest quartile (OR 1.99).
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