RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The association of plasma lipids with white blood cell counts: Results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 488023
DO 10.1101/488023
A1 Yong Chang Lai
A1 Kevin J. Woollard
A1 Robyn L. McClelland
A1 Matthew A. Allison
A1 Kerry-Anne Rye
A1 Kwok Leung Ong
A1 Blake J. Cochran
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/06/28/488023.abstract
AB Background Previous studies have demonstrated that elevated cholesterol results in increased white blood cell counts in mouse models. However, there is insufficient evidence to support this in humans.Objective To investigate the relationship of plasma lipids with white blood cell counts (basophils, eosinophils, monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).Methods The analysis included 2873 MESA participants with a complete white blood count and differential analysis. The cross-sectional association of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels with different white blood cell counts was analyzed by multivariable linear regression.Results After adjusting for sociodemographic and confounding factors including red blood cell counts, platelet counts, use of lipid-lowering medication, CVD risk factors and other lipid measures, and multiple testing correction, a 1-SD increment in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol was associated with 2.8% and 2.3% lower total white blood cell counts, 3.7% and 3.0% lower monocyte counts, and 3.4% and 2.7% lower neutrophil counts (all p<0.01). The same increment in ln-transformed triglyceride levels was associated with 2.3% higher total white blood cell counts and 4.5% higher lymphocyte counts (both p<0.001). Similar results were obtained after excluding participants taking lipid-lowering medication. A 1-SD increment increase in HDL cholesterol was associated with a 1.5% lower white blood cell count (p=0.018), but was not significantly associated with changes in any individual cell type.Conclusion Whilst significant associations were observed between plasma lipid levels and white blood cell populations, the heterogenous and modest nature of these relationships make it hard to support the hypothesis that lipids are in the causal pathway for leukogenesis in humans.