Red Blood Cell Distribution Width in Acute Coronary Syndromes

Objective: RDW is a measure of the variation of red blood cell width, reported as part of standard complete blood count; many paper reported results about the role of RDW in heart failure; the role of RDW in Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) is less known. Methods: We enrolled 173 consecutive patients, admitted to the coronary care unit of our hospital, with a diagnosis of obstructive ACS, documented by the evidence of obstructive coronary lesions on coronary angiography. We divided patients into two Groups: Group 1, with normal values of RDW; Group 2, with RDW values higher than normal range. Ventricular systolic function, was measured with echocardiography. Results: Patients of group 1 had a greater Ejection Fraction (p=0.03) and lower values of NT-proBNP (p=0.001). Finally we found a lower eGFR in patients of group 2, than in patients of group 1 (p=0.0001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that RDW is a routine and inexpensive test that can provide information concerning severity of clinical condition in acute phase of an ACS, both as regards the cardiac contractility, both with regard to renal function. These variables are important prognostic factors in patients after ACS.