Abstract
Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is a hematimetric index used to diagnose anisocytosis. In human medicine, it has been widely used as a predictor and biomarker of various diseases, but there are few comparable studies in equine medicine. We aimed to compare RDW values between healthy and hospitalized Quarter Horses (QH). A total of 176 QH were evaluated, 95 healthy animals reared on 27 farms, and 81 animals treated at a Veterinary School Hospital. Blood samples were evaluated using an automated hematological analyzer to obtain RDW. Red blood cell distribution width values in hospitalized horses (18.6%) were significantly higher than in healthy ones (17.8%, P = .0006). Values from our healthy group can be used as a reference for QH. We suggest that further studies are needed to evaluate the use of RDW as a biomarker or predictor of various disorders or diseases in equines.
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