High neutrophil counts causal risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

A recent study published in the European Heart Journal highlighted the pivotal role of inflammation on cardiovascular health by establishing a causal link between elevated neutrophil counts and increased risk across multiple cardiovascular endpoints. The findings from both observational and genetic approaches provided a crucial insight into potential possibilities of preventing and managing cardiovascular disease.

The study analyzed data from the Copenhagen General Population Study and involved 101,730 participants. Also, the UK Biobank contributed individual-level data from 365,913 participants for one-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), while summary-level data from 563,085 participants were utilized for two-sample MR analyses through the Blood Cell Consortium.

The observational analyses highlighted a critical association between high neutrophil counts and increased risks across nine cardiovascular endpoints. The UK Biobank analyses revealed that a 1-SD increase in genetically predicted neutrophil counts that was correlated with higher odds ratios for ischemic heart disease (1.15), myocardial infarction (1.22), and peripheral arterial disease (1.19). On a positive note, these associations remained consistent when analyzed separately for men and women.