The Relationship Between Blood Monocyte Count and Coronary Artery Ectasia

BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of coronary artery ectasia (CAE) has not been clearly identified, although multiple abnormalities including arteritis, endothelial dysfunction, and atherothrombosis have been reported. It is known that monocytes play an important role in inflammation, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. We aimed to compare the numbers of monocyte counts of the CAE patients versus controls. METHOD This study included 84 CAE patients (40 male, mean age 55.4 ± 9.7 years) and 30 controls (10 male, mean age 57.86 ± 11.6 years). Concurrent routine biochemical tests and neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte count and mean platelet volume (MPV) on whole blood count were performed for these participants. These parameters were compared between groups. RESULTS Baseline characteristics of the study groups were comparable. CAE patients had a higher MPV value and monocyte count than controls (8.8 ± 0.2 vs. 6.2 ± 1.6 fL and 732 ± 88 vs. 321 ± 75 cell/μL; both P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION As a result, our study revealed a relationship between monocyte count and MPV in patients with CAE.