Value of Red Cell Distribution Width for Assessing Disease Activity in Crohn's Disease

Abstract

BackgroundCorrelation between red cell distribution width (RDW) and chronic inflammation was observed, although studies focused on value of RDW for assessing disease activity in Crohn's disease (CD) are limited. MethodsThis is a prospective study. RDW, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and white blood cell count were measured in 100 patients with CD on admission and 102 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers. value of these markers for assessing disease activity in CD was investigated. ResultsRDW was significantly higher in patients with active CD than in inactive patients (P<0.05). The optimal cutoff value for RDW was 15.6% in differentiating active from inactive disease, with sensitivity and specificity of 94.2% and 56.3%, respectively (area under the curve=0.743). The overall accuracy of RDW in detecting active CD was 76.0%, which is higher than that of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (68.0%) and white blood cell count (51.0%) but lower than that of C-reactive protein (78.0%). ConclusionsRDW was elevated in patients with active CD in comparison with patients in remission. As a cost-effective tool, RDW may assist in determining the disease activity of CD.