Objective: To investigate the association with white blood cells (WBC) and atherosclerotic parameters including cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in the general population.
Methods: We investigated the relationship between WBC count and metabolic syndrome components, CAVI and CIMT in 3738 Japanese study participants.
Results: WBC count weakly correlated with CAVI in men (beta = 0.61, p = 0.043), but not in women (beta = 0.35, p = 0.17). On the other hand, WBC did not correlate with CIMT in either men or women (p = 0.41 and p = 0.71, respectively).
Conclusion: WBC count was associated with lipids, blood pressure and body mass index, although the correlations with CAVI and CIMT were weak or absent.