Association between white blood cell and red blood cell counts within reference range and metabolic syndrome in Korean men and women

The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between white blood cell (WBC) or red blood cell (RBC) counts, and metabolic syndrome (MS). We analyzed 5,178 subjects ≥20 yr of age, who participated in the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Each multivariate adjusted mean of WBC and RBC was significantly higher in subjects with MS components than the control group, respectively, with the exception for men with hyperglycemia and women with lower values of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. WBC and RBC counts were correlated with MS components. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the highest quartile of WBC or RBC counts were presented with 1. 5- or 2. 5-fold increases in the risk of MS, respectively, compared to the lowest quartile groups. These findings demonstrated that increased WBC or RBC counts within the reference range could associated with various MS components and the risk of MS in the Korean population.