LAUSR

The association between white blood cell (WBC) count and arterial stiffness in patients with hypertension is not well-documented. We aimed to examine the relationships of total WBC count with arterial stiffness and risk of macrovascular damage in hypertensive patients. A total of 631 hypertensive adults (mean age: 65.6 years) were included in the present study. Arterial stiffness was determined by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and ankle-brachial index (ABI). Macrovascular damage was defined as baPWV >1.8 m/s or ABI <.9. The dose-response associations were assessed by multivariate linear or logistic regression models. After multivariate adjustments, we observed a dose-response relationship between increasing total WBC count and arterial stiffness. Participants in the highest tertile of total WBC count showed a significantly elevated baPWV (β = .088; 95% CI: .021, .154; Ptrend = .010) and reduced ABI (β = -.027; 95% CI: -.046, -.008; Ptrend = .005), as compared with those in the first tertile. The association was similar in different subgroups. In addition, elevated total WBC count was related to a greater risk of macrovascular damage, as indicated by baPWV >1.8 m/s (OR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.99, comparing the extreme tertiles). Our data suggest that elevated total WBC count was related to arterial stiffness among individuals with hypertension.