Association of leukocyte count with varying degrees of glucose intolerance in Asian Indians: the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES-26)

This study assessed the association of leukocyte count with different grades of glucose intolerance in Asian Indian subjects. Three groups of subjects were recruited from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES), a population-based study, representative of Chennai (formerly Madras), a city in southern India. Group 1 represented normal glucose tolerance (NGT) (n = 840), group 2 included impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (n = 180), and group 3 included type 2 diabetes (n = 1170). Anthropometric measurements including weight, height, and waist measurements were obtained using standardized techniques. Leukocyte count was measured by an automated flow cytometry instrument (Sysmex SF-3000, Japan). Fasting insulin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and insulin resistance was calculated using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). Subjects with diabetes (8.0 +/- 1.5 x 10(3)/microL) and IGT (7.9 +/- 1.3 x 10(3)/microL) had a significantly higher mean leukocyte count compared to the NGT group (7.4 +/- 1.5 x 10(3)/microL) (P < 0.001). Leukocyte count was significantly increased in NGT subjects with insulin resistance (IR) as measured by HOMA-IR (7.5 +/- 1.5 x 10(3)/microL; P < 0.001) compared to NGT subjects without IR (7.0 +/- 1.4 x 10(3)/microL). Regression analysis showed that there was a linear increase in mean leukocyte count with increasing severity of glucose intolerance, even after adjusting for age, waist circumference, and HOMA-IR. Among Asian Indians who are known to have high risk of premature coronary artery disease and diabetes, a significant association exists between leukocyte count and glucose intolerance.