London: Lower levels of lymphocyte blood cells – a condition called lymphopenia – could be an early warning for future illness, as low counts were associated with a 60 per cent increase in death from any cause, a new study suggests.
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Lymphopenia is often detected during routine blood tests, and patients are not usually referred for further investigation because the value of lymphopenia as a predictor of future health was not known.
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“Our study showed that participants with lymphopenia were at high risk of dying from any cause, regardless of any other risk factor for all-cause mortality, including age,” said study researcher Stig Bojesen from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark , with coauthors.
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For the findings, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), researchers included 108,135 people of Danish descent aged 20-100 years who were enrolled in the Copenhagen General Population Study between 2003 and 2015.
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An incidental finding of a low lymphocyte count was associated with a 1.6-fold increase in the risk of death from any cause and a 1.5- to 2.8-fold increased risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, infections and other causes.
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During the study period, a total of 10,372 people died. Older age was associated with decreasing lymphocyte counts, the researchers said.
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The link between lymphopenia and death may be because of reduced immune capacity to survive potentially lethal diseases.
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Lymphopenia could also indicate frailty which could lead to illness and death, the study said.
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The researchers hope their findings may help doctors identify at-risk people.
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“Using the absolute 2-year risks of all-cause mortality, physicians can identify high-risk individuals with lymphopenia (e.g., smokers older than 80 years) who might benefit from additional surveillance,” they said.
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