title: The effect of blood cell count on coronary flow in patients with coronary slow flow phenomenon.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The coronary slow flow phenomenon (CSFP) is a coronary artery disease with a benign course, but its pathological mechanisms are not yet fully understood.The purpose of this controlled study was to investigate the cellular content of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP and the relationship of this with coronary flow rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Selective coronary angiographies of 3368 patients were analyzed to assess Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) frame count (TFC) values. Seventy eight of them had CSFP, and their demographic and laboratory findings were compared with 61 patients with normal coronary flow.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients' demographic characteristics were similar in both groups. Mean corrected TFC (cTFC) values were significantly elevated in CSFP patients (p<0.001). Furthermore, hematocrit and hemoglobin values, and eosinophil and basophil counts of the CSFP patients were significantly elevated compared to the values obtained in the control group (p=0.005, p=0.047, p=0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). The increase observed in hematocrit and eosinophil levels showed significant correlations with increased TFC values (r=0.288 and r=0.217, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant changes have been observed in the cellular composition of blood in patients diagnosed with CSFP as compared to the patients with normal coronary blood flow. The increases in hematocrit levels and in the eosinophil and basophil counts may have direct or indirect effects on the rate of coronary blood flow.
authors.affiliation: Korhan Soylu, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Korhan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Soylu
authors.affiliation: Okan Gulel, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Okan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gulel
authors.affiliation: Huriye Yucel, MD, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Huriye
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yucel
authors.affiliation: Serkan Yuksel, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.affiliation: Gokhan Aksan, MD, Department of Cardiology, Gazi State Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gokhan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aksan
authors.affiliation: Ayşegül İdil Soylu, MD, Department of Radiology, Samsun Education Research Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayşegül İdil
authors.initials: Aİ
authors.lastname: Soylu
authors.affiliation: Sabri Demircan, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sabri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demircan
authors.affiliation: Özcan Yılmaz, MD, Professor, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ozcan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Mahmut Sahin, MD, Professor, Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahmut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sahin
keywords: Basophil; Coronary slow flow; Eosinophil; Hematocrit; Hemoglobin