Abstract

Recently RDW is getting studied in relation to heart failure and its elevated values seems significant in prediction of mortality and morbidity in heart failure patients. RDW is an easily available parameter as most of the CBC analysers give RDW. Material and method: 300 patients of heart failure were studied for relation of RDW with their clinical, biochemical, hematological, echocardiographic parameters. Patients were followed up till the end of 3 months. Data were collected accordingly with predesigned proforma and appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out interrelations of parameters and association with mortality. Results: Male to female ratio was 3:1with mean age of 57.13 years. Out of 300 patients of heart failure 27.7% patient had raised RDW while 74.3 % patients had RDW with in normal limit. Among 300 patients included in the study, 77 patients succumbed. The mean RDW of the patients on the basis of outcome was derived and found to be higher in patients who died at the end of 3 month that was 15.43 having a significant P value (<0.01). Among those who succumbed, out of young age group 2 patients were diabetic status and 6 patients were non-diabetics; out of older age group 20 patients were diabetic while 49 patients were non-diabetics. Out of 182 patients with raised RDW, 55 (30.2%) patients had raised CRP as well. Mean RDW was higher in the group with EF < 30%, when compared with moderate and mild LV dysfunction and was normal in the group where EF> 54% which was found to be statistically significant as evident by P value (<0.01). Conclusion: Red blood cell distribution width is an easy to measure, widely available and low-cost marker that is showing prognostic significance both in the diabetic and non-diabetic HF patients.

Description