Abstract
Although our previous study found that diabetes combined with a high serum triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol
(TG-HDL) ratio constitutes a risk for atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD), the association, in terms of TG-HDL
ratio, between diabetes and white blood cell (WBC) count, which is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, has not been
clarified. To investigate this association, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 3,998 Japanese subjects aged 30-89 years
undergoing a general health check. We investigated the associations between WBC count and diabetes for all subjects, who
were divided into tertiles according to TG-HDL level. Independent of classical cardiovascular risk factors, WBC count of both men
and women was positively associated with diabetes combined with high but not with low TG-HDL. The multivariable odds ratios
(ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) of 1SD (standard deviation) increment in WBC count (1,538/μL for men, 1,382/μL
for women) for high TG-HDL diabetes and low TG-HDL diabetes were 1.39 (95%CI: 1.04-1.85) and 0.88 (95%CI: 0.66-1.19) for
men, and 1.83 (95%CI: 1.45-2.33) and 0.91 (95%CI: 0.64-1.29) for women, respectively. In conclusion, for both men and women,
WBC count is associated with high TG-HDL diabetes but not with low TG-HDL diabetes. These findings suggest that measuring
WBC count is clinically relevant for estimating the risk of atherosclerosis and CKD in patients with diabetes categorized according
to TG-HDL ratio.
