Neutrophil count and activation in vascular disease.

An elevated peripheral leucocyte count is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and progression of coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to determine neutrophil count and activation, measured as an increase in plasma neutrophil elastase, in patients with stable ischaemic heart disease, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and essential hypertension compared with a comparable group of control subjects. Neutrophil count and neutrophil elastase were raised significantly for patients with ischaemic heart disease (p less than 0.005; p less than 0.002), diabetes mellitus (p less than 0.001; p less than 0.01) and hypertension (p less than 0.05; p less than 0.0001) respectively compared to the control subjects. Neutrophil elastase did not correlate with subject age or leucocyte count. This study confirms the association between leucocyte count and vascular disease, and is consistent with neutrophil activation contributing to the progression of vascular disease.