Abstract

Background: Cigarette smoking is an established risk factor for various cardiovascular disorders such as ischemic heart disease and systemic hypertension. Aims and Objectives: A study was conducted among male smokers of Tezpur, Assam, to ascertain the relation between number of cigarettes smoked per day and the sequential changes in various components of differential leukocyte counts.
Materials and Methods: A total of 125 consenting participants of which 100 smokers 25 non smokers were studied. Male smokers, based on number of cigarettes smoked per day, were divided into four groups of sequentially increasing cigarettes smoked per day. Blood samples were processed using hematology analyzer ® (ABX Micros60 , HORIBA, Kyoto, Japan).
Results: It was found that smokers had a significantly different percentage of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils (P < 0.001). This effect was a significant irrespective of the number of cigarettes compared to the controls. There was no significant change in the percentage of basophils. Conclusion: Cigarette smoking has a significant effect on differential cell counts which changed significantly with increasing number of cigarettes smoked per day among North Eastern Indian male smokers.