The population characteristics of the main leukocyte subsets and their association with chronic diseases in a community-dwelling population: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: To analyse the characteristics of the main leukocyte subsets and elucidate their distributions amongst the natural population. We wanted to determine whether leukocyte subsets are potential biomarkers to evaluate the risk of common chronic diseases. Background: The peripheral blood leukocyte count is a routine exam performed to detect pathogen infections. Recently, subsets of white blood cells and their homeostasis have shown strong associations with some chronic diseases. Therefore, studies aiming to discover whether the distribution of leukocyte counts and its subsets are useful for predicting health conditions are worthwhile. Methods: This cross-sectional study analysed 10 564 residents from the basic public health service project of the Health Checkup Program performed by the BaiYun Community Health Service Center. Data on demographic information, physical measurements, medical history, and routine blood examination parameters were collected using questionnaires and health check-ups. Restricted cubic spline incorporated into logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between subsets of leukocytes and common chronic diseases. Findings: The counts of leukocytes and their subsets in males were higher than those in females amongst all age groups, yet the percentages of lymphocytes and neutrophils did not present sex-specific differences. A low lymphocyte count and percentage were associated with old age. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with hypertension was higher than that in the non-hypertensive population. The risk of NLR in the top quartiles was 1.17-fold higher than that in people in the lowest quartiles. Conclusions: The distributions of the white blood cell count and percentage were associated with age, sex, and body mass index (BMI). In addition to the immune barrier for pathogens, the NLR or monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) may be potentially used to indicate the risk of some chronic non-communicable diseases. Homeostasis of subsets of leukocytes may be an important biomarker for body health conditions.

Elevated AST/ALT ratio is associated with all‐cause mortality and cancer incident

“…Oxidative stress and systematic inflammation are two plausible mechanisms of chronic diseases 2,3 . Therefore, many oxidative stress and systematic inflammation markers, such as serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), albumin (ALB), and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), have been identified and used for screening or evaluating the health condition of chronic diseases in the population 4–7 . Most of them have performed imperfectly in clinical practice.…”

“… 2 , 3 Therefore, many oxidative stress and systematic inflammation markers, such as serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), albumin (ALB), and neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), have been identified and used for screening or evaluating the health condition of chronic diseases in the population. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 Most of them have performed imperfectly in clinical practice. Thus, more effective biomarkers to assess health conditions and predict disease development are needed.…”

Association of immune cell composition with the risk factors and incidence of acute coronary syndrome

“…In addition to ACS, risk factors of ACS were also associated with the immune cell proportions [ 11 – 19 ], but inconsistent conclusions were reported by different studies. For example, Chen et al [ 11 ] identified a lower percentage of lymphocytes in adult males compared to females, while such association was not supported by Wongkrajang et al [ 12 ]. Moreover, studies have found that sex differences in lymphocyte percentage were reversed in middle-aged adults [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…Furthermore, Akesson et al [ 18 ] reported a negative association between the relative abundance of NK cells and diabetes, whereas Lv et al [ 19 ] reported a positive association. Inconsistent conclusions across studies were probably due to potential unadjusted confounders [ 11 , 12 , 18 , 19 ], small sample sizes [ 12 , 14 , 18 , 19 , 23 ], or different ethnic backgrounds [ 13 , 15 , 22 ]. Therefore, joint analysis of the associations between these risk factors and immune cell composition in a large sample might help resolve the inconsistency.…”

Evidence for Parainflammation According To Differential Leukocyte Ratios in a Cohort of Type 2 Diabetic Mellitus Patients

“…It involves a persistent harmful degenerative process in which neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells are released in the tissues producing antibodies, cytokines, growth factors, and enzymes hence contributing to the progression of tissue damage, fibrosis, granuloma, and/or metabolic disturbances (11,12). Peripheral blood differential leukocyte subsets has been considered as important markers of parainflammation and alterations in their ratios has been implicated in chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus type 2 (13). There is currently a paucity of data on the differential leukocyte ratios in patients with type 2 diabetic mellitus in the Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital, Enugu State, Nigeria.…”