Oral Presentation No. 56 Elevated White Blood Cells Count and C-Reactive Protein as markers for coronary heart disease prognosis

Abstract

Background White blood count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) elevation are well-recognized inflammation indicators and considered risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). Most of the other newly introduced inflammatory risk markers are expensive to test, are not readily available, lack standardization, and have not been confirmed by multiple prospective studies. Whether these classic inflammatory markers may predict majoradverse coronary events (MACE) in CHD patients is controversial. We aimed to evaluate whether high WBC and CRP are independent risk factors for MACE occurrence in CHD patients with an extended follow-up. Material and methods A cohort of 1,713 CHD patients (mean age 54.0 ± 7.5 years, 78.6% male) was prospectively followed during an extended time of 4.9 ± 3.4 years (range 1 to 17 years). Bivariate and multivariate Cox regression with WBC, CRP and traditional risk factors (age,gender, smoking, family history, dyslipidemia, diabetesand BMI) analyzed those significantlyassociated with MACE. Results and conclusions MACE group presented a higher percentage of non-smokers (P = 0.006); hypertension (P = 0.003); dyslipidemia (P = 0.025) and diabetes (P < 0.0001). WBC (P = 0.048) and CRP (P < 0.0001) were also significantly higher in patients with MACE relatively to non-MACE patients. After multivariate Cox analysis, WBC and CRP remained significant risk factors for MACE, with diabetes and hypertension presenting as strong statistical value. As a conclution, the inflammatory CRP and WBC factors are accurate to predict MACE in secondary prevention. These biomarkersare easily accessed, providing helpful information in the prognosis of cardiovascular patients.