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White blood cell count is associated with macro- and microvascular complications in chinese patients with type 2

Peter C Tong1, Ka-Fai Lee, Wing-Yee So

  • 1Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong. ptong@cuhk.edu.hk

Diabetes Care
|December 25, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Elevated white blood cell (WBC) counts, even within the normal range, are linked to increased vascular complications in type 2 diabetes patients. This suggests chronic inflammation plays a role in diabetes-related complications.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiology
  • Inflammation Research

Background:

  • Raised white blood cell (WBC) count is associated with coronary heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
  • The link between WBC count and vascular complications in diabetes remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between WBC count and macrovascular and microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional cohort study of 3,776 patients with type 2 diabetes.
  • Comprehensive assessment of complications and risk factors using the European DiabCare protocol.
  • Measurement of metabolic profiles, including complete blood count and urinary albumin excretion.

Main Results:

  • Higher WBC counts correlated with adverse metabolic profiles (higher BMI, HbA1c, blood pressure, lipids, albuminuria; lower HDL).
  • Prevalence of macro- and microvascular complications increased with WBC count in a dose-dependent manner.
  • Each 1 x 10(9)/l increment in WBC count was associated with a significant increase in macro- (15.8%) and microvascular (12.3%) complications.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated WBC count, even within the normal range, is significantly associated with macro- and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes.
  • Chronic inflammation, indicated by higher WBC count, may be a key factor in the development of vascular complications in diabetes.
Abstract

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