Abstract
BackgroundRed blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been shown to be related to both anemia and inflammation in various diseases. However, the role of RDW in patients with Takayasu arteritis (TA) is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the association of RDW with anemia, inflammation, and disease activity in TA. MethodsRDW was determined in 156 patients with TA and in 156 control subjects. Anemia status and disease activity were defined according to the World Health Organization and National Institutes of Health criteria, respectively. ResultsRDW was significantly increased in patients with anemia (14.6±2.2) compared with those without anemia (13.6±1.3, p<0.001) and control subjects (12.7±0.6, p<0.001). Regardless of the presence of anemia, RDW showed correlation with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (both p<0.05). RDW was higher in active TA than inactive TA in patients without anemia (14.1±1.5 vs. 13.3±1.1, p=0.001). Moreover, multiple regression analysis showed that hs-CRP and mean corpuscular volume were independently associated with RDW. ConclusionsRDW is influenced by both anemia and inflammation, and RDW may be a useful marker to assess disease activity in patients without anemia.
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