Heart disease: A new weapon in the fight against heart disease

When an infection arises, your body sends in the WBCs.

White blood cells, that is.

WBCs (also known as leukocytes) are an indispensable element of the immune system; WBC count rises when the body is fighting infection from bacteria or viruses. Now a new study shows that white blood cell count may provide doctors with an accurate and easy-to-use tool for predicting heart disease.

The new red flag
Over the past few years, research has revealed the significant role inflammation plays in the development of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). In previous e-alerts Ive told you about C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker for inflammation that many mainstream researchers now regard as a far more reliable predictor of atherosclerosis than elevated LDL cholesterol. But now CRP may have met its match - literally.

American researchers led by Dr Karen L. Margolis, examined data collected from the Womens Health Initiative, an ongoing study from the National Institutes of Health. More than 72,000 women participated, aged 50 to 79, who had no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

After an average of six years of follow up, researchers found that women with the highest WBC counts at the outset of the study were more than twice as likely to die from coronary heart disease compared to women with the lowest WBC counts. Those with the highest counts also had a significantly increased risk of stroke and nonfatal heart attack.

The researchers noted that the highest WBC counts in the study were considered to be only at the upper end of normal, which is not an extremely high count. They also believe the results demonstrate that WBC count may be just as reliable as CRP in predicting cardiovascular events linked to coronary heart disease.

Writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. Margolis and her team conclude that an elevated WBC count is a dependable predictor of CVD events in postmenopausal women, even when there are no other indications of CVD.

Egg rolling 
Inflammation presents a chicken-or-egg dilemma. Researchers are not yet sure if atherosclerosis triggers inflammation, or if inflammation sets the stage for atherosclerosis. In either case, inflammation presents a problem that wont be solved with a one-size-fits-all quick fix. But that doesnt mean drug companies wont try.

Drug companies in the US have started positioning some of their products to treat patients with elevated CRP, even though CRP is considered a MARKER, not the CAUSE of inflammation.

According to a report from Internet Broadcasting Systems (IBS), researchers for pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZ) are currently testing the effects of their cholesterol-lowering statin drug Crestor on CRP. This study is titled JUPITER (Justification for the Use of statins in Primary prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin). And the title is revealing: Justification for the use... It would seem that the desired conclusion of the study is already written. Now if the results will just cooperate and justify the use of statins, the study will provide AZ with a useful marketing tool.

In a side note, the IBS report states that, there are currently no guidelines to treat high CRP levels. What theyre saying here, of course, is that there are currently no drugs that have been approved to treat high CRP levels. This is a typical mainstream reaction: If we cant treat it with drugs, theres nothing we can do.

So if further studies confirm the results of the Margolis research, we certainly wont be surprised to hear that a drug company has launched a study to test statins on elevated WBC count. In fact, I fully expect it.

In the meantime, if either your WBC count or CRP is elevated, talk to your doctor and examine all aspects of your health profile. Somewhere in there - among chronic problems, family history or subtle symptoms - lies the spark that sets off a potentially dangerous flame.