The relationship of Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) with Stroke Severity and Prognosis in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Introduction: The red cell distribution width (RDW) is a numeric estimation of the erythrocyte dimension in the circulation. Increased RDW has been shown to have a predisposing role in the development of vascular thrombosis and therefore it is an instigator of serebrovascular diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between RDW values with stroke severity and prognosis in patients in comparison with a healthy control group. Methods: The first 24 hours complete blood count examinations of the hospitalized patients with acute ischemic stroke were requested. Neurological examination was evaluated with NIHSS on Day 1 and Day 10 and early prognosis was evalu- ated with mRS. Results: 271 patients with acute ischemic stroke and 142 control patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients and in the control group were 69.54±12.8 and 68.35±19.38, respectively. Male to female (M/F) ratio of patients and the control group were 52.2/47.8 and 44.6/55.4, respectively. The mean RDW values were 15.39±1.4 in the stroke group and 14.59±2.02 in the control group. Mean RDW values were significantly different between the two groups (p: 0.04). There was no correlation between stroke severity and early prognosis and RDW (p>0.05). Discussion and Conclusion: RDW values were found to be high in acute ischemic stroke patients, but there was no correla- tion between RDW values, stroke severity and early prognosis.