Clinical implication of the red cell volume distribution width in patients with coronary heart disease

Objective To assess the relationship between red cell volume distribution width(RDW) level and coronary atherosclerosis in patients with coronary heart disease(CHD). Methods According to the results of coronary angiography, 162 patients with CHD were selected to the CHD group. These patients were divided into one-vessel, two- vessel or three-vessel disease group on the basis of the number of diseased coronary branches, and they were also divided into stable angina pectoris(SAP) group and acute coronary syndrome(ACS) group according to the clinical types. A total of 50 patients without CHD were as control group. The level of RDW, white blood cell(WBC) count, total bilirubin(TBIL), fasting plasma glucose(FPG), total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high-density lipoprotein(HDL), low- density lipoprotein(LDL), high sensitive C reactive protein(hs-CRP), systolic blood pressure(SBP) and diastolic blood pressure(DBP) were measured, also include age, prior medical histories including hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking status. Logistic regression analysis was applied to analyze the association between RDW and CHD. The level of RDW was compared statistically between the groups. Results The level of RDW in CHD patients was significantly higher than that in controls. Logistic regression analysis showed that the level of RDW was related with risk factor of CHD. The level of RDW was increased as the increasing number of diseased coronary branches. No significant difference was found in the level of RDW between patients with ACS and SAP. Conclusion The level of RDW is linked with increased risk of CHD, and related with the severity of coronary atherosclerosis.