A new study suggests that some readings from routine blood tests could help identify people at higher risk of disease and death related to disease. Doctors currently use the readings as markers of immune condition and inflammation.

The study investigators analyzed 12 years of data from 31,178 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

They found that those with low levels of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, were more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia and influenza.

The analysis showed that the link between low lymphocytes — a condition called lymphopenia — and higher risk of disease and death did not vary with age or other common risk factors.

However, the predictive power of the low lymphocyte count increased when the scientists added two other measures of blood abnormality: one relating to inflammation and the other to the ability to maintain a supply of red blood cells.

The research is the work of teams from the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, in Ohio, and other institutions. They report their findings in a recent JAMA Network Open paper.

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