Blood cell counts and their correlation with creatine kinase and C-reactive protein in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

This study reports differential blood cells counts and their correlations with creatine kinase (CK) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and normal subjects. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from all 39 AMI patients and 35 controls for blood cell counts and CK and CRP analyses. Total WBC, WBC fractions, RBC and platelets were measured with an automated hematology analyzer. The results showed a significant increase in total WBC (8.688 × 10(9)/L versus 6.148 × 10(9)/L), monocytes (1.271 versus 0.497 × 10(9)/L), and neutrophils (8.367 versus 3.223 × 10(9)/L) counts in AMI patients than controls. The RBC count was significantly less in AMI patients (4.638 × 10(12)/L) as compared to controls (5.105 × 10(12)/L). However, there was no significant difference in lymphocytes, eosinophils, basophils and platelet counts between AMI patients and controls. Both, serum CK (215.38 ± 43.15 versus 100.82 ± 8.86 U/L) and CRP (29.49 ± 7.61 versus 3.48 ± 0.60 mg/L) were significantly higher in AMI patients as compared to controls. Age of the subjects was neither correlated with blood cell counts nor CK indicating the validity of these markers irrespective of patient age. A significant correlation was observed between WBC counts and CK (R = 0.242, P = 0.041) as well as CRP (R = 0.416, P = 0.000). In conclusion, this study clearly showed significant increase in total and differential leukocyte counts indicating a pro-inflammatory cascade in AMI patients. A significant correlation between WBC counts and CK or CRP levels suggest a possible biomarker value of WBC for a quick prediction of both myocardial necrosis and inflammation in AMI patients.