Red Cell Distribution Width: A Novel Marker of Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
- Author:
Atakan YESIL
1
;
Ebubekir SENATES
;
Ibrahim Vedat BAYOGLU
;
Emrullah Duzgun ERDEM
;
Refik DEMIRTUNC
;
Ayse Oya KURDAS OVUNC
Author Information
1. Department of Gastroenterologyc, Haydarpasa Numune Education and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. ebubekirsenates@yahoo.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Red cell distribution width;
Inflammatory bowel disease;
Activity
- MeSH:
Blood Sedimentation;
C-Reactive Protein;
Colitis, Ulcerative;
Crohn Disease;
Erythrocyte Indices;
Humans;
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases;
Platelet Count
- From:Gut and Liver
2011;5(4):460-467
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Studies concerning red cell distribution width (RDW) for use in the assessment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity are limited. We investigated whether RDW is a marker of active disease in patients with IBD. METHODS: In total, 61 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 56 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) were enrolled in the study group, and 44 age- and-sex-matched healthy volunteers were included as the control group. A CD activity index >150 in patients with CD indicated active disease. Patients with moderate and severe disease based on the Truelove-Witts criteria were considered to have active UC. In addition to RDW, serum C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, and platelet counts were measured. RESULTS: Twenty-nine (51.7%) patients with CD and 35 (57.4%) patients with UC had active disease. The RDW was significantly higher in patients with CD and UC than in controls (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). A subgroup analysis indicated that for a RDW cut-off of 14%, the sensitivity for detecting active CD was 79%, and the specicity was 93% (area under curve [AUC], 0.935; p<0.001). RDW was the most sensitive and specific marker for active CD. However, it was not valid for UC, as the ESR at a cutoff of 15.5 mm/hr showed a sensitivity of 83% and a specicity of 76% (AUC, 0.817; p<0.001), whereas the RDW at a cutoff of 14% showed 17% sensitivity and 84% specicity for detecting active UC. CONCLUSIONS: RDW was elevated in IBD in comparison with healthy controls and increased markedly in active disease. RDW may be a sensitive and specific marker for determining active CD, whereas ESR is an important marker of active UC.
