Clinical usefulness of Red blood cell distribution width in chronic liver disease

  • Ausaf Ahmad University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Shafique Ahmad University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Hafiz Zia Mehmood-ur Rehman University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Fazal Ghafar University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Naeem University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Fareeha Bashir University Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Aftab Ahmad Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan
Keywords: Red cell distribution width, chronic liver disease, Hepatitis C virus, Anemia

Abstract

Abstract: Red blood cell distribution width is a predictor for the erythrocyte size variation and is elevated in chronic liver disease which leads to a series of multifactorial damage to liver. However, its clinical significance is generally blurred; lately has been perceived as a prognostic marker in chronic liver illness.Objective: To estimate the altered degree of Red cell distribution width (RDW) in Chronic Liver Disease patients presenting anemia and its relationship with conventional biochemical serum markers.Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed for 4 months duration. The random samples of 240 patients visited the INDUS Laboratory Lahore, Pakistan were processed to Architect-c4000™ and Sysmex XN-550™ for test parameters. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version-25 and Mean with Standard deviation.Results: Of total 190 CLD patients, 110 were of middle age group (41-60 years) with higher ratio (56%) of males. The degree of Red cell distribution width (RDW) elevation was higher in patients presenting anemia (18.4±2.9) where (p <0.05). The levels of liver enzymes, Total bilirubin, Prothrombin time (PT) and RDW were significantly elevated (16±2.5 and 18±2.9) while a noteworthy fall was observed in hemoglobin (12±9.2, 9.6±1.8) and albumin (3.2±.5 & 2.9±.0.3) in males and females respectively. RDW was correlated significantly with total bilirubin (p=0.01), PT (p=0.02) and Albumin (p =0.03).Conclusions: Anemia is a common yet multifactorial complication in Chronic Liver disease where Red cell distribution width is greatly affected that reflects the degree of damage by liver disease in various ways and may, provide a valuable clinical incentive to anticipate liver illness. However, broad-scale studies are required to endorse its prognosis and mortality rate in hospitalized patients.

Published
2021-08-22
How to Cite
Ahmad, A., Ahmad, S., Rehman, H. Z. M.- ur, Ghafar, F., Naeem, M., Bashir, F., & Ahmad, A. (2021). Clinical usefulness of Red blood cell distribution width in chronic liver disease. Asian Journal of Allied Health Sciences (AJAHS), 6(3). https://doi.org/10.52229/ajahs.v6i3.758
Section
Original Article