RESUMEN
Objective To investigate the association between peripheral white blood cell (WBC) count and the carotid intimal-medial thickness (cIMT) in middle-aged and elderly Chinese of suburban area of Shanghai.Methods A total of 2 519 subjects aged 40 years or older from Jiading District,Shanghai were recruited to undergo questionnaire interview,anthropometric measurements,fasting blood sampling,and carotid B-mode ultrasonography.After excluding subjects with biochemical index missing,WBC count ＞ 10× 109/L as well as those with known myocardial infarction,cerebral infarction,coronary heart disease,and those taking lipid-lowing agents,2 239subjects were included in this analysis.Results Increased WBC count was associated with more unfavorable metabolic risk profiles.With the increasing quartiles of WBC count,cIMT were 0.558,0.570,0.573,and 0.587mm respectively(P for trend ＜ 0.01).As compared with participants in the first WBC quartile,the risks of cIMT thickening were increased by 79％,109％ in males and 29％ in females (P＞ 0.05 in females).Multiple linear regression model showed that peripheral WBC count was an independent risk marker for cIMT thickening,especially for neutrophil and monocyte count.Conclusion A high-normal WBC count was significantly associated with cIMT thickening in middle-aged and elderly Chinese of suburban area of Shanghai,especially in males.