Red Blood Cell Distribution Width: A Novel Predictive Indicator for Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases

The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) obtained from a standard complete blood count (CBC) is a convenient and inexpensive biochemical parameter representing the variability in size of circulating erythrocytes. Over the past few decades, RDW with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) has been used to i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Disease markers 2017-01, Vol.2017 (2017), p.1-23
Main Authors: Li, Ning, Tang, Qi-Zhu, Zhou, Heng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anemia
Biological markers
Blood
Bone marrow
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular Diseases - blood
Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology
Cerebrovascular disease
Cerebrovascular diseases
Cerebrovascular Disorders - blood
Cerebrovascular Disorders - epidemiology
Diagnosis
Diseases
Epidemiology
Erythrocyte Indices
Erythrocytes
Erythrocytes - cytology
Health aspects
Hematology
Humans
Iron
Iron deficiency
Medical examination
Nutrient deficiency
Prognosis
Review
Risk factors
Vascular diseases
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Summary:The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) obtained from a standard complete blood count (CBC) is a convenient and inexpensive biochemical parameter representing the variability in size of circulating erythrocytes. Over the past few decades, RDW with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) has been used to identify quite a few hematological system diseases including iron-deficiency anemia and bone marrow dysfunction. In recent years, many clinical studies have proved that the alterations of RDW levels may be associated with the incidence and prognosis in many cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs). Therefore, early detection and intervention in time of these vascular diseases is critical for delaying their progression. RDW as a new predictive marker and an independent risk factor plays a significant role in assessing the severity and progression of CVDs. However, the mechanisms of the association between RDW and the prognosis of CVDs remain unclear. In this review, we will provide an overview of the representative literatures concerning hypothetical and potential epidemiological associations between RDW and CVDs and discuss the underlying mechanisms.
ISSN:0278-0240
1875-8630
DOI:10.1155/2017/7089493