title: Red blood cell distribution width: A simple parameter in preeclampsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Preeclampsia is a serious disease and a leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Red blood cell distribution width (RDW), a measure of anisocytosis, is used as an inflammation marker in hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Although the relationship between RDW and hypertension has been well documented, the association between preeclampsia and RDW is not clear. We aimed to investigate the relationship between RDW and preeclampsia and its severity.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighteen pregnant women with preeclampsia and one hundred twenty uncomplicated pregnant women were included in the study. Blood samples for routine CBC and RDW levels were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RDW values were significantly higher in preeclampsia group compared with the control group (15.23±1.96 vs 14.48±1.70, p<0.05). We also confirmed that RDW levels were significantly higher in severe preeclampsia group than mild preeclampsia group in subgroup analyses (15.08±2.07, 15.92±1.99, p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that there is an association between RDW and preeclampsia and also its severity. RDW, a marker which is easy, inexpensive and calculated as a part of blood cell count, can be used as a significant diagnostic and prognostic marker in patient with preeclampsia like the other cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sami Ulus Women's and Children's Health Training and Research Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: zehravural@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Zehra Vural
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sami Ulus Women's and Children's Health Training and Research Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Elif
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Dr. Sami Ulus Women's and Children's Health Training and Research Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Tuncay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Küçüközkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Inflammation; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; RDW