Objective: Atherosclerosis is considered a chronic inflammatory condition. The immune system is a key mediator in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. In a previous study, we found that the immune system was activated in diabetes and that total white blood cell (WBC) counts were elevated significantly in diabetic patients. To investigate whether WBC subtype counts in newly diagnosed diabetes are risk factors for future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, we conducted a prospective population-based cohort study.
Methods: A total of 1498 newly diagnosed diabetic patients aged 40 to 70 years old were followed up for three years. Participants with previous CVD history and abnormal WBC counts were excluded. CVD events were recorded during follow-up.
Results: We found that the baseline lymphocyte counts were independently associated with cardiovascular events during follow-up, with the Exp (β) (95% CI) at 1.749 (1.084-2.821). Lymphocyte count ≥2.9 (109/L) was significantly associated with the development of CVD (HR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.12-4.67). The corresponding incidence of CVD per 1000 person-year for the lymphocyte count ≤2.8 (109/L) and lymphocyte count ≥2.9 (109/L) groups were 11.26 and 26.38, respectively.
Conclusion: We concluded that even in a normal range, higher lymphocyte levels may result in a significantly higher CVD risk among diabetic patients. Lymphocyte count ≥2.9 (109/L) is an independent predictor of developing future CVD events.
Keywords: cardiovascular events; diabetes; lymphocytes; risk.
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