Endocrinol Metab.  2018 Mar;33(1):79-87. 10.3803/EnM.2018.33.1.79.

Association between White Blood Cell Counts within Normal Range and Hemoglobin A1c in a Korean Population

• Hong JW
• Noh JH
• Kim DJ

• KMID: 2407124
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2018.33.1.79

Abstract

BACKGROUND
We examined whether white blood cell (WBC) count levels within normal range, could be associated with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.
METHODS
Among the 11,472 people (≥19 years of age) who participated in the 2011 to 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination, subjects with chronic disease or illness, including 807 patients with diabetes currently taking anti-diabetic medications and/or 1,149 subjects with WBC levels < 4,000 or >10,000/µL were excluded.
RESULTS
Overall, adjusted HbA1c levels increased across the WBC quartiles (5.55%±0.01%, 5.58%±0.01%, 5.60%±0.01%, and 5.65%±0.01%, P < 0.001) after adjusting for confounding factors, such as age, gender, fasting plasma glucose, college graduation, smoking history, waist circumference, presence of hypertension, serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride, and presence of anemia. The adjusted proportions (%) of HbA1c levels of ≥5.7%, ≥6.1%, and ≥6.5% showed significant increases across WBC quartiles (P < 0.001, P=0.002, and P=0.022, respectively). Logistic regression analyses of WBC quartiles for the risk of HbA1c levels of ≥5.7%, ≥6.1%, and ≥6.5%, using the variables above as covariates, showed that the odds ratios of the fourth quartile of WBCs were 1.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35 to 1.89; P < 0.001), 1.78 (95% CI, 1.31 to 2.42; P < 0.001), and 2.03 (95% CI, 1.13 to 3.64; P=0.018), using the first quartile of WBCs as the reference.
CONCLUSION
HbA1c levels were positively associated with WBC levels within normal range in a general adult population.

Keyword

Leukocyte count; Glycated hemoglobin A; Diabetes; Fasting plasma glucose

MeSH Terms

Adult
Anemia
Blood Glucose
Cholesterol
Chronic Disease
Fasting
Humans
Hypertension
Korea
Leukocyte Count*
Leukocytes*
Logistic Models
Odds Ratio
Reference Values
Smoke
Smoking
Triglycerides
Waist Circumference
Cholesterol
Smoke

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Participants disposition to be included in this study. KNHANES, Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

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