Is elevated red blood cell distribution associated with mortality in super-elderly patients with community-acquired pneumonia?

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mortality in super-elderly subjects (≥ 90 years) diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: One hundred twenty subjects in the super-elderly age group diagnosed with CAP were followed up for at least one year after first diagnosis time. It was investigated whether high RDW level and advanced age were associated with mortality. Results: Eighty-three subjects (69%) died, and 37 (31%) survived. Basal RDW level was significantly correlated with mortality (p<0.001). A cut-off value>13.05% for RDW predicted mortality with specificity of 64.86% and sensitivity of 84.33%, with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 64.86% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 84.33%. A cut-off value>92.5 for age predicted mortality with specificity of 72.97% and sensitivity of 54.21%, with NPV of 41.53% and PPV of 81.8%. Cox regression analysis revealed that a RDW cut-off>13.05%, age cut-off>92.5 and presence of Alzheimer’s disease increased mortality independently 2.6-fold (p=0.002), 1.5-fold (p=0.040) and 2.4-fold (p=0.003), respectively. Conclusions: This is the first study to examine the relationship between RDW, age and mortality specifically in a super-elderly subject aged over 90 with a diagnosis of CAP. RDW level, advanced age and presence of Alzheimer’s disease are correlated with mortality in super-elderly subjects (≥ 90 years) with CAP.