Simple blood test for heart disease in older women

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

According to a new study, white blood cell count could identify postmenopausal women at risk of heart disease.
There is increasing evidence suggesting that inflammation plays a key role in heart disease. Markers for inflammation may, therefore, indicate risk for heart disease, even in the absence of other symptoms.

A team at the Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, and colleagues, looked at data from over 72,000 women in the Women's Health Initiative Study. The looked at white blood cell (WBC) count as an indicator of potential death from heart attack or stroke, or death from any cause. A higher WBC count might be an indicator of inflammation.

The study showed that those with the highest WBC counts did indeed have a higher risk of death from heart disease than those with the lowest counts. Other research has suggested a similar link in men. Assessing WBC count is relatively cheap and simple compared to looking at some other heart disease markers. Further research may indicate that this is a good way of assessing a woman's risk of heart disease.

Source
Archives of Internal Medicine 14th March 2005 Volume 165 pages 500-508

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