PLoS ONE (Jan 2021)

White blood cell count and incidence of hypertension in the general Japanese population: ISSA-CKD study.

  • Shintaro Ishida,
  • Seiji Kondo,
  • Shunsuke Funakoshi,
  • Atsushi Satoh,
  • Toshiki Maeda,
  • Miki Kawazoe,
  • Chikara Yoshimura,
  • Kazuhiro Tada,
  • Koji Takahashi,
  • Kenji Ito,
  • Tetsuhiko Yasuno,
  • Kosuke Masutani,
  • Hitoshi Nakashima,
  • Hisatomi Arima

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246304
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 2
p. e0246304

Abstract

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ObjectivesThis study aimed to clarify the relationship between the white blood cell (WBC) count and hypertension in the general Japanese population.MethodsWe conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using annual health check-up data of residents of Iki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. A total of 2935 participants without hypertension at baseline were included in the present analysis. WBC counts were classified as tertile 1 (ResultDuring an average follow-up of 4.5 years, 908 participants developed hypertension. The incidence (per 100 person-years) of hypertension increased with an elevation in the WBC count (6.3 in tertile 1, 7.0 in tertile 2, and 7.4 in tertile 3). This association was significant, even after adjustment for other risk factors, including age, sex, current smoking habits, current alcohol intake, exercise habits, obesity, elevated blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. The hazard ratios were 1.07 for tertile 2 (95% CI 0.90-1.26) and 1.27 for tertile 3 (95% CI 1.06-1.51) compared with the reference group of tertile 1 (p = 0.009).ConclusionThe WBC count was associated with future development of hypertension in the general Japanese population.