ASSESSMENT OF FULL BLOOD COUNT AND CORRELATION WITH BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS ON TREATMENT IN A SPECIALIST HOSPITAL IN NNEWI, ANAMBRA STATE.
Abstract
Hypertension, or high blood pressure is a prevalent global public health issue and is defined as unusually elevated arterial blood pressure. Hypertension affects a significant population globally and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and other health complications. Full Blood Count (FBC) analysis offers valuable insights on the health status of an individual hence this study was designed to assess FBC values and correlate them with blood pressure measurements in hypertensive patients undergoing treatment in Hope Specialist Hospital. A total of 80 subjects were recruited for this study, 40 hypertensive patients on treatment with a mean age of 58.75, comprising 35% male and 65% female; and 40 normotensive patients with a mean age of 43.6, comprising 47.5% male and 52.5% female. Blood sample was collected from each subject in an Ethelene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) container and the full blood count was analyzed using SYSMEX autoanalyzer. The statistical package for social science (SPSS), version 22 was used for the statistical analysis. The findings of this study show that the mean values of white blood cells (p=0.001), neutrophils (p=0.001), lymphocytes (p=0.001), monocytes (p=0.002), and mean platelet volume (MPV) (p=0.028), were significantly higher in the hypertensive patients when compared to the normotensive patients; the red blood cell (RBC) (p=0.024) and hemoglobin (p=0.022) mean values were significantly higher in hypertensive males when compared to hypertensive females. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between diastolic blood pressure and red blood cells (p=0.008), hemoglobin (p=0.043), hematocrit (p=0.001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (p=0.025), mean platelet volume (MPV) (p=0.004) and platelets distribution width (PDW) (p=0.044). A positive correlation was also observed between systolic blood pressure and mean platelet volume (MPV) (p=0.007) and platelets distribution width (PWD) (p=0.011). Conclusively, this study has identified that white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and mean platelets volume are significantly higher in hypertensive patients. Additionally, the study also identified a significant correlation between blood pressure parameters and red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCHC, MPV and PDW. This study suggests that FBC analysis may be a useful tool for monitoring the progression of hypertension and for assessing the risk of cardiovascular complications in hypertensive patients.
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