Increased leucocyte count could predict coronary artery calcification in patients free of clinically apparent cardiovascular disease

OBJECTIVES
Several studies have demonstrated that inflammation plays a major role in the development of atherosclerosis and that the inflammatory process might also be involved in coronary artery calcification (CAC). The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between leucocyte count and CAC and to determine whether a higher leucocyte count could indicate subclinical atherosclerosis in patients without overt cardiovascular disease.

STUDY DESIGN
A total of 284 consecutive patients (156 men, 128 women) without established cardiovascular disease were enrolled. CAC was measured using cardiac computed tomography. Leucocyte count was measured via routine blood examination.

RESULTS
Patients with CAC had higher leucocyte counts compared to those without calcification (7.87±1.85 vs. 6.01±1.84; p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis identified the following as independent predictors of CAC: leucocyte count (odds ratio [OR]: 1.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-2.1), smoking (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.2-4.6) and age (OR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3). There was also a significant correlation between CAC and leucocyte count (r=0.57, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION
We demonstrated that leucocytes may play an important role in the evolution of CAC and may be used in the detection of subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic subjects.