Association between white blood cell count and mortality rate in first 7 days after acute myocardial infarction at Shariati hospital, Tehran

  Background: Despite impressive strides in diagnosis and management over the past three decades, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) continues to be a major public health problem. Several studies have shown that white blood cell ( WBC ) count, affects the prognosis of patients with AMI.   Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the association between WBC count and mortality rate in patients with AMI in first 7 days of the illness.   Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 610 patients with diagnosis of AMI from April 2008 to September 2009 at Shariati hospital in Tehran. The data were analyzed by Chi- square test.   Findings: 66.9% of patients were male and 33.1% of them were female. The mean WBC count was 15200 per µl in the dead patients and was 11700 per µl in the survived patients. Total mortality rate in first seven days after AMI was 11.3%. Mortality rate in the group with WBC count under 6000 was 0%, in the group with WBC count between 6000 and 12000 was 8.3%, in the group with WBC count between 12000 and 20000 was 16.7% and among the last group with WBC count> 20000 was 20.7%. There was a significant association between mortality rate and WBC count (P<0.001). With regards to the gender and age, no significant association was seen between WBC count and mortality rate after AMI.   Conclusion: According to the findings, WBC count appears to be a simple and important marker to determine the risk and prognosis of patients with AMI.