A simple and inexpensive test for elevated white blood cell counts could be used to predict heart disease, a study of more than 66,000 women suggests. The study adds to the growing body of evidence that inflammation plays a role in strokes and heart attacks, perhaps by weakening blood vessels and causing fatty buildups inside them to break loose and create a blockage. Women with the highest levels of white blood cells were found to be twice as likely to die from heart disease as women with the lowest levels. High white blood cell counts also were associated with a 40 percent higher risk for nonfatal heart attack and a 46 percent higher risk for stroke. White blood cells are the body’s germ fighters. Their levels rise when the body is fighting infection from viruses and bacteria, and doctors routinely take a white blood cell count to diagnose various illnesses. Current guidelines for predicting heart disease already direct doctors to test for another marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, in some patients. But the white blood cell test is cheaper and more widely available. And it is as strong a predictor as C-reactive protein, the researchers said. The study was published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine (news - web sites) and was led by Dr. Karen Margolis, associate medical director of the Berman Center for Clinical Research in Minneapolis.
