Strength and limitations
To the best our knowledge, our study is the first to demonstrate the association between WBC count and MetS in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. However, with cross-sectional study it is impossible to determine the direction of the association. A longitudinal study would be more appropriate for this question.
CONCLUSION
MetS is common among Thai perimenopausal and postmenopausal women living in urban area. WBC and total lymphocyte count were higher in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with MetS. However, both hematologic parameters were poor predictors for MetS in this group. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm the relationship between WBC, lymphocyte count and MetS in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank all staff members of the Women Health Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University for facilitating subject recruitment process.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
All authors are faculty staff of a non-profit, university hospital. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.