What is a blood count?

A blood count is one of the most common lab tests. After the blood is drawn, the cellular elements that are present in the blood are evaluated. Its applications are very broad, since they serve to identify pathologies and disorders such as:

• Anemia

• Alterations in the shape and composition of blood cells

• Abnormal proliferative processes such as polycythemia vera (red blood cells), leukemias (white blood cells), or primary thrombocythemia (platelets)

• Infections

• Decreased number of platelets

A basic blood count measures the following factors:

• Number of red blood cells

• Number of white blood cells

• Hemoglobin

• Hematocrit

• Medium corpuscular volume

• Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

• Platelets

• Leukocyte formula (5 populations)

What is cardiovascular risk?

It is the probability of suffering a cardiovascular disease within a certain period of time and this will depend fundamentally on the number of risk factors that each patient is present.

Risk factors are classified into 2 large groups: modifiable factors, that is, we can intervene to avoid them; and non-modifiable factors, which we cannot intervene.

Non-modifiable factors:

• Age

• Sex

• Race

• Family background

Factors that we can modify:

• Arterial hypertension

• Increased cholesterol

• Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes

• Overweight and obesity

• Smoking

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Alcohol abuse

• Anxiety and stress

The first four factors are generally associated with what in Medicine is called Metabolic Syndrome. Together with tobacco, they are the most important modifiable risk factors on which we can act and the fact that several risk factors coincide in the same person, even in a minimal way, the risk multiplies exponentially.

Therefore, it is necessary to treat each and every one of the risk factors that are present so that the risk decreases.

What is metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome occurs when at least 3 of the following factors coincide in a patient:

• Abdominal obesity

• Blood lipid disorder (low HDL-cholesterol and increased triglyceride levels).

• Impaired glucose management (high glucose).

• Increased blood pressure.

Having metabolic syndrome increases the appearance of type 2 diabetes by 5 times and the cardiovascular risk by 2 to 3 times. For example, hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome have a cardiovascular risk almost twice that of hypertensive patients without it, and today it is becoming one of the main public health problems of the 21st century.

Are there differences in cardiovascular risk between women and men?

• Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women.

• A woman has a 50% chance of dying from her first heart attack compared to 30% for men.

• Of the people who survive their first heart attack, 38% of women will die in the first year compared to 25% of men.

• 46% of women are disabled by heart failure after a heart attack compared to 22% of men.

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