Association of White Blood Cell Count with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Ejection Fraction in Stable Hemodialysis Patients

Cardiovascular disease is the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in dialysis patients, and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent risk factor for mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. This analysis was undertaken to explore the associations of white blood cell (WBC) count with LVH and also left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction in patients on regular HD. There were 36 patients in the study, of whom 21 were males and 15 females. Their mean (± SD) age was 46 ± 17 years. The median length of the time the patients had been on HD was 19 months. The mean (± SD) WBC count of the patients was 5660 ± 2000 cells/mm 3 (median: 5500 cells/mm 3 ). The mean (± SD) LV ejection fraction of the study patients was 48 ± 11.5 % (median: 52 %). On the basis of septal thickness, the patients were stratified into groups with no, mild, moderate, and severe LVH. In this study, a significant inverse association between WBC count and LV ejection fraction and a significant positive correlation between WBC count and stages of LVH were seen. Our study shows a significant effect of WBC count on LV function and structure. Additional studies are needed to determine whether interventions to decrease inflammation during HD can reduce the risk for LVH associated with elevated WBC count.