Red cell distribution width is increased in patients with ascending aortic dilatation.
OBJECTIVE
The prognostic importance of red cell distribution width (RDW) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in cardiovascular diseases has been shown. Ascending aortic dilatation (AAD) is a common cardiovascular disease and is associated with aortic wall inflammation and cystic degeneration. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between serum levels of RDW, NLR and the presence of AAD.


METHODS
Two-hundred consecutive patients with AAD diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiography were prospectively recruited and were compared to 170 age-gender- matched subjects with normal aortic diameters. Complete blood counts (CBCs) were analyzed for hemoglobin, RDW and NLR counts, as well as mean corpuscular volume (MCV). If possible, results of CBC tests within the previous two years were also included and the averages were used.


RESULTS
RDW [median 13.9, interquartile range (IQR) 1.40 vs. median 13.3, IQR 1.05%, p=0.01], NLR (median 2.04, IQR 1.09 vs. median 1.78, IQR 0.90, p=0.01) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (median 0.60, IQR 0.80 vs. median 0.44, IQR 0.68 mg/L, p=0.01) levels were significantly higher in the AAD group compared to the control group. In univariate correlation analysis, ascending aortic diameters were correlated with RDW levels (r=0.31, p=0.01), NLR levels (r=0.15, p=0.01) and hs-CRP levels (r=0.12, p=0.03). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, increased levels of RDW and hs-CRP remained as the independent correlates of AAD in the study population. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that a RDW measurement higher than >13.8% predicted AAD with a sensitivity of 49.5% and a specificity of 82.8% (area under the curve [AUC] 0.681, p=0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with AAD, RDW and hs-CRP levels are increased, which may indicate the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of AAD.
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Barış
B
Güngör
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Kazım Serhan
KS
Ozcan
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Fatma
F
Ozpamuk Karadeniz
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Mahmut
M
Uluganyan
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Ahmet
A
Ekmekçi
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Ahmet Taha
AT
Alper
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Damirbek
D
Osmonov
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Baran
B
Karataş
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Ercan
E
Toprak
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Izzet Celal
IC
Erdinler
Department of Cardiology, Siyami Ersek Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Center, İstanbul, Turkey.
Osman
O
Bolca
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology*; D001014:Aortic Aneurysm / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies