Background: Ischemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction is one of the most dramatic manifestations in one of the most investigated fields in the past few decades. In this study, the prognostic value of white blood cells count in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) was investigated in a six months follow-up.
Methods: In this cohort study, 106 patients with MI were investigated. White blood cell counts were assessed 48 hours after MI and the location of MI was determined using ECG. Mortality rate was determined and their correlation with leukocytosis was analyzed up to 6 months of follow-up. Binary logistic regression analysis was applied between factors such as mortality rate, location of the myocardial infarction, sex, hemoglobin and WBC count.
Results: Mean age of the patients was 62.5±13.3 years. 76.4% were men. 26% of patients had leukocytosis. Leukocytosis was significantly correlated with mortality in a six-month follow-up period (P<0.001). Fifteen (14.2%) patients died during the first three months of follow-up, of which 13 (86.7%) had leukocytosis. It was also shown that mean age of the patients and anemia in deceased group were significantly more than the survived group.
Conclusion: High WBC count in the first 48-h after MI can be regarded as a poor prognostic factor and it has an independent role in determining prognosis of patients with MI for the next six months.