A leukocyte and erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregation test to reveal the presence of smoldering inflammation and risk factors for atherosclerosis

The number of white blood cells in the peripheral blood, the presence of in flammation, increased fibrinogen concentrations and hyperlipidemia are esta blished risk factors for atherosclerosis. It is known that hyperfibrinogene mia and hyperlipidemia cause increased erythrocyte aggregation, that inflam mation will confer increased adhesive properties upon white blood cells and that the increased number of white blood cells can be detected in the peri pheral blood. Therefore, we adopted a simple slide test and image analysis to determine the number of peripheral blood leukocytes and their state of a dhesiveness/aggregation together with an erythrocyte adhesiveness/aggregati on test to reveal the presence of these risk factors. The significant corre lation between the fibrinogen and cholesterol concentration and the erythro cyte aggregation, between the white blood count and the number of leukocyte s on the slides, and between the concentration of C-reactive protein and le ukocyte adhesiveness indicate that we have succeeded in designing a simple one-step screening test that will identify patients at risk for atheroscler osis. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.