Elevated red blood cell distribution width levels are associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients

Objectives:
Emerging evidence has underscored the potential usefulness of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) measurement in predicting the mortality and disease severity of COVID-19. Therefore, this review article has been conducted.

Are elevated red blood cell distribution width levels associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients?

Study design:
This review article included 10 studies with a total of 14,866 COVID-19 patients.

Results and conclusions:   
The investigators found higher levels of red blood cell distribution width were associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients [MD = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.47 to 0.97, I2 = 89.51%].

The investigators found deceased patients had higher levels of red blood cell distribution width compared to survived patients [MD = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.63 to 1.23, I2 = 85.58%].

The investigators found severely ill COVID-19 patients showed higher levels of red blood cell distribution width, as opposed to patients classified to have milder symptoms [MD = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.28 to 0.94, I2 = 82.18%].

The investigators concluded that elevated red blood cell distribution width levels are associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients. These findings warrant further research on whether red blood cell distribution width could be utilized as a simple and reliable biomarker for predicting COVID-19 severity and whether red blood cell distribution width is mechanistically linked with COVID-19 pathophysiology.

Original title:
Association between Red Blood Cell Distribution Width and Mortality and Severity among Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Lee JJ, Montazerin SM, […], Chi G.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33448439/

Additional information of El Mondo:
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