Positive association between the metabolic syndrome and white blood cell counts in Chinese.

<bold>Background and Objectives: </bold>The aim was to investigate the association between peripheral circulating white blood cell count (WBC) and the metabolic syndrome among populations in central China.<bold>Methods and Study Design: </bold>In the present study, 5,278 subjects (2,412 women, 2,866 men) aged 18-75 years were recruited through a health check program in Wuhan, China. Biochemical and haematological parameters were measured by standard methods and the metabolic syndrome diagnosed as defined by the Chinese Diabetes Society criteria for Chinese.<bold>Results: </bold>Both WBC counts and prevalence of metabolic syndrome were significantly higher in men than in women (p<0.01). Participants in the highest quartile of white blood cell count had significantly higher odds ratio of metabolic syndrome (3.79, 95% CI: 2.64, 5.44), compared with subjects in the lowest quartile. The trend remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors and in further subgroup-analyses.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Metabolic syndrome prevalence was significantly and positively correlated with the total white blood cell count in this Chinese population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]